Family Counseling Services in Elsmere, DE.

Families are fascinating paradoxes. The health of the family system is connected to the interactions among individual family members. I provide a safe place for family members to talk and listen to each other, to express feelings honestly without criticism. Families often come to therapy because of a crisis that has become too overwhelming. In family therapy, we will look at family dynamics, alliances, communication styles, goals and expectations, boundaries, trust issues, behaviors, ways of dealing with conflict. Our goal is to heal the family system.

Families come in all forms especially in our changing times. The stresses of life show up in our families lives. Families change over time. Dealing with young children is different than a family with teenagers or no children at all. We need to negotiate these changes in our families. At REACH Counseling we believe in the strength of families and helping families to communicate and connect at a deeper level. We specialize in exploring what intergenerational patterns are affecting your family, how you may be dealing with transitions and how you can make your family strong.

I love when children/teens and their parents all come in together. Some worry it will be awkward but I make a point to have it be relaxed and conversational. I help parents understand the social culture and stressors impacting their kids' lives, as well as help them express their concerns in ways that don't feel like lectures to their kids. In turn, I help kids to articulate their struggles in ways that their parents can appreciate and empathize with. Respect and responsibility is an important part of any work I do with families, and helping parents to balance their expressions of compassion with their need to hold their kids accountable is always part of the conversation.

It has been said that members of a family are like the creatures on a child's mobile - when one moves, they all move. I help families understand their relationships with each other, and how each family member influences and impacts the entire family unit. I work with families to help them learn effective communication and problem solving, while respecting individual autonomy.

Family therapy can be a place where all members of a family are safe to discuss their concerns. It is also a place where you can hear each other in new and surprising ways. Being willing to hear, understand and respond to the surprising feelings behind the anger or withdrawal that blocks closeness in your family can set the stage for more cooperation, compromise and a new strategy for interacting without hurt. I will help you do the work of connecting emotionally and strategizing about new ways to cope with old problems. Call me for an appointment to discuss your family's particular difficulties. As a therapist, a wife, and a mother of teenagers, I bring professional and personal resources.