Family Counseling Services in La Palma, CA.

We are a married couple in a blended family who understands the range of dynamics and challenges a family can face. We can help you deal with differences of opinions on finances, housing, children and in-laws. We understand the complexities of raising children and step-parenting. Are you having difficulty with boundaries, rules and discipline? Is one of you feeling like an outsider in your own family? We work on creating new roles and understanding baggage from families of origin. We encourage exploring fears around the lost fantasy of what a family "should" be. We can help you find new ways to form secure alliances and open communication.

Family therapy is a unique opportunity to be in the room with a very important system that holds power in people's lives. Often, problems loom over family units, making the unique values, gifts, and strengths of that unit recede into the background. Having family members all together can be a chance to create space for voices to be heard and revisit the importance that each person plays in the lives of the family.

Raising our children is one of the most important things that we will ever do in life. How they turn out, how life goes for them, whether they experience joy and happiness because of their inner strength and resources, or struggle with life because of inadequate coping skills is largely in our hands. Many adults have had hundreds, if not thousands of hours of training for their profession, yet when we become parents there is virtually no training available for what most people agree is one of the most important jobs on the planet: being a parent.

Raising a family can be challenging, especially when parenting children struggling with anxiety or depression. Anxiety and depression are often reinforced and enabled unintentionally via the family system and by the adults most involved in the child's life. I use a family systems based approach to treating children with anxiety and/or depression, which helps parents develop the tools necessary to decrease anxiety or depression related behavioral issues, tantrums, and conflict in the home. In addition to building skills that help support their children without enabling symptoms of anxiety or depression.

I approach family therapy from a perspective that the family is one organic system--each member plays a part in the system. Roles are are defined and reinforced. Every family has an equilibrium. When change happens quickly, the family system gets dysregulated. Seeing interactional patterns and making subtle shifts in ways of relating can make dramatic changes. My role is to help make those shifts slowly and in ways that feel the least disruptive.

Families are the fundamental unit of our society. Healthy families make our world better. I try to balance the needs of the individual with the need for a stable and happy family. It is critical that all voices be heard, including children who do not have the authority of a parent, but whose voice, feelings and behaviors are always some kind of barometer about what is going on in the family. Finding ways to support multiple needs while preserving the family's stability is what I specialize in. While compromise can be important, I feel it is important to help families find ways where all basic needs can be met. You will learn to be open and communicate more in your family work with me.

All of our counselors practice Family Psychology. We understand and treat symptoms from a systems perspective. This means that many factors contribute to an problem behavior. Symptoms don't happen in a vacuum. Frequently, we invite the spouse or family members to participate in sessions. Using therapy as a safe place, we work collaboratively together to create effective solutions. Using proven methods such as behavioral contracting and family experiments, family members learn to communicate and offer mutual support through experiences. Many families are toxic. We can help you to establish strong boundaries and new behaviors that will disrupt the dominant patterns of conflict and reactions.

If you meet with us, we will begin therapy working with the adults to better understand their perception of the problems. Then we will work to help the adults gain insight into their part of the family dysfunction. Once those patterns change usually the children or teens respond favorably to the changes and often the acting out behaviors can be resolved fairly quickly.

Many times families need help to deal with struggles between them, or to get through difficult circumstances. Each relationship within a family is different from all others, and may need specific opportunities to express thoughts and feelings. Supportive and encouraging therapy may be just what is needed to remove blocks between family members so that the love can flow again.

The only type of family therapy I provide is Maudsley Family-Based Treatment or FBT. This is a specific evidence-based treatment for adolescent eating disorders. I am one of only a few therapists in LA County certified in FBT. The treatment empowers parents to be part of the treatment team and requires their active participation. Treatment initially focuses on weight restoration and/or elimination of bingeing and purging behaviors, with the parents given the task of providing adequate nutrition for their adolescent during family meals.

Every family has some sort of dysfunction since individuals are not perfect. I have worked for over ten years with youth and their families. I believe family therapy is essential when working with youth since children and adolescents have limited insight and need structure, guidance, and discipline from parents/caregivers. I begin the initial session meeting with the parents/caregivers to identify and discuss problems and confidentiality. I then meet with the youth/children with the parents to work on agreed treatment goals. The ultimate goal of family therapy is to increase open and respectful communication and improve parent/child relationships.

I take a "systems" approach to Family Therapy, which means that each member of the family contributes to the overall dynamics and issues within the family. As a graduate school Professor for over ten years, I have taught the theories of marriage and family therapy for over ten years and facilitated the couples training program at a Community Mental Health Center as well. Often, Family Therapy will turn into Couples Therapy in my experience, which comprises about half of my counseling practice in Los Angeles.

Families can benefit from therapy as change is a constant and often may be difficult. Even if only one family member is struggling with a physical or mental health issue/ illness, the entire family is often directly affected. I have a great deal of experience in family therapy and can assist in unpacking the struggles that can lead to one of more members of the family experiencing depression, anxiety, & distancing. Often a family is impacted by significant struggles such as job security, household duties, child/adolescent changes, marital discord, etc., and can create struggles in communication. Life transitions can lead to problem areas; roles often change as well within the family system.

I specialize in supporting the healthy growth and development of family relationships. Family therapy provides a secure and nurturing environment for these relationships to blossom. The bond between parent and child is of crucial importance for the secure development of children and their future relationships. The ultimate goal is to help families to create healthy bonds that bring joy to their life and relationships. I have experience working with families with children of all ages from infancy to young adulthood.

Families are complex and dynamic entities. Often, different family members get pigeonholed into one specific identity which is pathologizing & limiting, and does not serve them. Family systems teach us how to behave in the world. Dysfunction in families can be very harmful and can set people up to feel doomed. Luckily, there is help. In family therapy sessions we will create an atmosphere of openness and non judgment. Through identifying, and actively working through issues, balance and harmony can emerge.

No two families were created alike. Therefore, therapy has to be customized to suit the particular dynamics of each family. Assembly-line approaches won't work. Healthy communication and individual growth within each family member as well as the entire family system are some important goals in family therapy. One family systems approach I Integrate in my counseling is that of Carl Whitaker's. This involves "authentically 'being' with the family and their anxieties rather than aloofly applying predetermined techniques." Individuation is a priority-- each member is allowed his/her own perceptions and treatment as an individual.

Dr. Clark has extensive training and experience helping family, including eight years working as a Director of Child and Family Services for a large medical facility. Dealing with the stresses of raising children can become overwhelming, and often problem seem to repeat themselves with no hope in sight. It can be very helpful to get another point of view from an objective psychologist.

Problematic behaviors in a child or teen are usually rooted in some disturbance of the emotional connections within the family. I can help your family reconnect with each other using an approach called Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). EFFT rebuilds connections by helping you to understand and change the repetitive and self-reinforcing negative interactions that create distance and conflict within your family. People are empowered when they feel a secure sense of being loved. They naturally become stronger, more resilient, and more autonomous – not weak or needy. Once your child or teen feels securely connected, he or she will have a foundation on which to build positive behaviors.

Family Therapy is often the most beneficial when there is a family conflict or crises. Examples of family conflict are a recent divorce or separation, sibling rivalry, arguments over a living trust or will and discussing end-of-life issues. One of the most difficult situations for families to adjust to is blending families. If you have been married before and going into a second marriage with your own children, it brings a whole new set of problems . Examples of a family crises is death of a loved one, a family member of loved one getting a serious illness, or a family member going through a trauma like physical or sexual abuse, being severely bullied, victim of a crime or the like.

Parent-child conflicts, sibling rivalry that has gotten out of hand, issues arising from divorce or parental conflict all these issues need to be discussed and have a supported and open conversation with your family members. I will work together with the family in order to identify areas of dysfunction and to help the family move through the difficult times that a family faces.

Sometimes getting along at home can be difficult. Perhaps there is someone in your family making bad choices and it is hurting your heart. Or maybe it is the day-to-day miscommunications and conflict that causes so much stress. On one hand, family squabbles are a normal part of living together. On the other hand, they can be very difficult and painful. Please don't wait one more day. Family therapy or family counseling can help. And you can even if you come in by yourself if your family won't come in with you. We'd like to see if we can help you make it better. Please visit http://OCRelationshipCenter.com to learn more and talk to one of our licensed, and caring counselors in Fullerton, CA.

Family therapy looks at the entire family system—parents, children, extended family members—to identify strengths and problematic behaviours. I collaborate with families on strategies for utilizing their own capabilities for resolving problems, and on developing effective communication and problem-solving skills for preventing conflicts. I specialize in working with families of teenagers, which is an age that can be challenging for both the teenagers and their parents.

I specialize in working with families through a process of designing the family you've always wanted. When each family member is given the opportunity to describe what they need or like that helps them feel valued in family it becomes the beginning of lasting change. I help families design their system in such a way that produces happiness. I will take your family through a 6 step process of design which gives shape to the kind of family you would like to be in.

Being part of any size group is challenging because we are called upon to deal with temperaments, personalities, and perspectives that differ from our own. And in families especially, we often wonder “WHY can’t they all be more like ME?!” as we struggle to also deal with different age groups and outside influences, such as peer pressures and various scheduling demands. Good, respectful communication and establishing (and maintaining) proper boundaries are key. We look to the family to provide us with a stable base… a safe haven from the world, and when it fails to do that, we are often heartbroken. Whether you have a child going through a rough transition, a teen that is trying to individuate, the challenge of blending two families, a desire to reunite...(view profile to read more)

Are you having difficulty navigating family dynamics or challenges? Seeking professional help can be the key to finding the support and clarity your family needs to improve relationships or communication. Maybe you are having difficulty with parenting skills of your young (or not so young) children. Maybe you are having difficulty with your adult siblings or adult children. Whatever the relationship, if something doesn't feel good or relationships are strained, it will take a told on you and those around. I hope you reach out for support to find the therapist you feel comfortable and safe with. I look forward to speaking to you to see if we would be able to face your challenge as a team.