Family Counseling Services in Pacific Palisades, CA.

Family life can be greatly rewarding and extremely challenging. Whether seeking therapy for issues arising from starting a family, preparing to launch children into adulthood or any stage in between, the difficulties cause concern and deserve attention. At all ages, the creation of a family structure with consistent boundaries and expectations can contribute to healthy lives, both as individuals and as a group. Common Areas of Focus: •Communication patterns •Rules and discipline •Regulating emotions and behavior •Effects of separation, divorce, blending families •Drugs, Alcohol, Sexual Activity •Freedom vs. Limits •School performance •Sibling/peer relations •Responsibilities and Goals

Families enter therapy for different reasons. Many families are seeking help for an immediate problem or crisis, while others need support changing long standing negative patterns. Family therapy can be beneficial as, it provides opportunities to identify and build on strengths, improve communication, and better understand roles and dynamics that shape the family system. I have experience working with families in crisis and am skilled at assisting parents and children/adolescents increase positive communication and connectivity.

We do not exist in a vacuum. Our family and significant relationships always influence how we feel or have shaped who we are. If you are having problems in your relationship with your significant other or any family member or even business partner, getting help can assist you in finding harmony where discord once was. The patterns need to change and Dr. Gary can effectively help you to do that. Call for a free initial phone consult 800 474-1445.

Emotional problems play out in families. They often start there. If this is the case: no matter how much individual therapy a person gets, things don't really seem to get better. Sometimes the whole family needs to be involved in the therapeutic process. Call me for a consultation to find the best course of action for you and your family. We can get to the root of the issues to help you start a whole new relationship with your family.

A healthy family is much like owning and maintaining a car. That is, if something is wrong with the car, the car won't run properly. Same goes for families. If one person is having difficulties then it affects the entire family. Family therapy helps everyone in the family work better together by addressing all the problems that are getting in the way.

I love working with families and especially Parents. The parents are the models for their children. I teach what is abuse and Find that many don't really know what abuse is? Screaming and yelling, telling another adult how to be think or feel, lying, cheating, encroaching on anothers boundaries, i.e., touching another person without permission, getting into another persons personal possessions without their permission. e are our childrens models. We all want to have mentally strong children which helps our whole society. I can write parenting plans and mediate disputes in families and even in businesses. Learning about strong boundaries is a necessary learning experience for everyone.

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.

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.

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.

Family therapy improves the family by improving the relationships that each of the family members have with each other. The goal is for all family members to feel understood, respected, appreciated, supported, and loved by the rest of the family. Typically, families seek help when one of the family members has caused problems that have shaken up the whole family, bringing distress to everyone. Family therapy does not just single that person out and "fix" them, but seeks to help the whole family come together as a team and address the problem together. Common problems would include sibling rivalry, recent divorce, severe adolescent rebellion, and struggles with parenting step children.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist I have been trained to focus family therapy on the entire family system; every member has a role and makes contributions to the balance and satisfaction within a family. An important strength of families is that they allow us to support each other as we all adapt to growth and change, as well as face challenges from outside the family, Psychotherapy can help family members understand how change is challenging relationships, and it can facilitate adaptation to these challenges and changes. The goal is re-establishing caring, supportive, and stable relationships within the family.

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.

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.