Family Counseling Services in Moraga, CA.

Family therapy is a process that targets relationships between and among members of an immediate or extended family. I recommend that families pursue therapy when a family member experiences problems which upsets family dynamics. This includes, but is not limited to, illness of a family member, a separation or divorce, a child experiencing problems that impact the family and the challenges inherent in blending families. My purpose is to help each family member learn to interact more effectively and handle conflicts within the family both positively and constructively. I work with both the adults and children in the family as they work together to function successfully as a family unit.

I spent two years running the adolescent unit of a psychiatric hospital, where I had to do a great many family therapy sessions, which has made me very experienced in family dynamics. I am a big believer in the family systems approach, where the family is seen as a relational unit and focus is put on how the energetics are playing out in the family dynamic.

Family life if complicated. Not only do we bring our own baggage to the relationship but all of the other family members bring theirs too. Many of the issues that come up are communications issues and many are due to our nervous systems being either on hyper alert or shut down from past traumas and an overaccumulation of daily strresses. Working as a team we build on the strengths of the couple/family and we also tease apart the less functional areas to understand them more fully. Then we devise a plan for working with the issues. That might involve working as a couple/family or it might involve individual session to resolve whatever issues we each bring into our relationships.

Often in families there are concerns or issues that seem hard to talk about. Family therapy provides a safe space for your family to begin speaking, in an honest way, about whats upsetting or causing pain in the entire system. Just speaking to the pain is often a relief by itself for many families! Together, we will work towards creating optimal communication, care and health in your family as we discuss the more painful and challenging experiences in your family.

One of my main specialities is family counseling. I work with families of all varieties; sisters, fathers, daughters sons, mothers, cousins, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or your "family of choice" etc. I also work with business associates. Straight as well as members of the LBGTQ community. I enjoy this work immensely and have helped many families find more closeness, safety, compassion, ease and care for each other. No matter how old and deep the problems are in your relationship, I can help you finally move past these issues for good.

Our family lives can be tremendously gratifying and enriching and a source of invaluable support and belonging. They can also become tense and chaotic at times, especially when under the influences of acute or chronic stress. Such responses are understandable, but you may need the support and guidance of a skilled therapist from time to time, especially if you are experiencing persistent conflicts that you cannot resolve or mediate on your own. Psychotherapy can help you relate to your family with more ease or resolve even long-standing problems. If you wish to explore how I could help with your particular situation, please call me at 415-533-9724. I would be happy to talk with you.

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.

Families come to therapy feeling stuck in repetitive patterns of negative interaction. Oftentimes one or more families members feel like they have become the "scapegoat" for the family's problems and are fearful of entering therapy, concerned that doing so will only further cement that role for them. My approach to family therapy helps avoid that dynamic by not taking sides, but rather giving all members an equal voice, and helping each person feel respected and heard. At the same time, I understand that a parent's role is different than a child's, and I work to empower parents to have more "healthy authority" with their children. I am trained in Multi-dimensional Family Therapy (MDFT).

Matt Lindgren offers family therapy in Oakland to help adults & children adjust to deaths, births, child behavioral problems, & attachment problems, & childhood trauma. Why not use therapy to build & strengthen your relationships with family and friends? Have someone help you move past stumbling blocks & old resentments and pain toward healthy relationship of love and respect. Can you think of a better way to invest your time & money than to grow closer to the people you love? I practice systems theory, a scientific theory that describes how complex systems, like ecosystems function. Systems theory focuses on how families find balance between resisting change and adapting to new information.

Family counseling is often a great way to help support family members working through a wide range of difficulties. Each member of a family is growing and developing at their own pace and in their own way. Often times conflict will arise between members due to insufficient understanding and a lack of proper communication. Family therapy can help clearly identify the conflict and how it is affecting ALL members of the family. It puts the power and responsibility for change on each member. Family therapy provides a compassionate, supportive place for members to hear, feel heard and build stronger, healthier connections.

I provide family therapy for a variety of families including those with young children, teens and young adults. I help by having everyone present in the session to hear each other and to support each family member in being heard and understood. I help each person understand the underlying feelings that are often not seen, but have an impact when they are expressed as frustration or anger. Understanding each other to improve the closeness between family members can help resolve conflicts and provide a sense of safety and security.

I particularly enjoy working with pairs within a family system—a mother and daughter for instance or siblings. Family members who are longing to be closer to each other and having trouble doing it, or wanting to better communicate. This isn't about trying to fix another person or convince them of our views. In therapy, getting to deeper levels of empathy and understanding with the people closest to us can solve a lot of issues on its own, building respect and tolerance for differences, and a gratifying sense of connection. It takes courage, effort, and the willingness to lay down our swords and shields, but it is worth it.

Having your family all in one room talking openly about personal issues with a therapist may sound like the worst possible way to spend an hour. Families are complicated and sometimes communication can almost completely break down. I can help each member of your family to feel heard and understood. By listening deeply to your past and present personal family history we can collaborate to make meaningful links and identify where communication might be breaking down. By creating effective communication we can generate movement around family issues and dynamics that may have felt stuck or impossible to understand. My style is warm, nonjudgmental, and active.