Family Counseling Services in Old Fort, NC.

About half of my clients are couples seeking help in their relationship. I help each partner to take responsibility for their contribution to the issues and difficulties that bring a couple to therapy. "Communication" is the most commonly mentioned issue. The couple learns how to argue fairly, how to express their needs and desires effectively, and how to listen to each other. Sometimes they accomplish these things very quickly, while in other cases it takes a considerable amount of time.

I do not offer family therapy as a primary, stand-alone service but I do often facilitate family therapy sessions for my individual clients who wish to have another family member present during one or more sessions and when I believe that doing so is in the interest of the client. For example, clients who have a family of origins issue with siblings or parents sometime ask for a few family therapy sessions. As long as the invited family member is willing and able to support the client’s therapeutic needs, such sessions can be very beneficial.

I am trained as a family therapist. I use a combination of structural, communication, and solution focused family therapy. In a session I teach clients how to become aware when they are reacting and how to practice emotional regulation techniques to stay calm. I also explain how their emotional brain is different than their cognitive brain and how to work with their brain to function at their best and how to enhance their relationship with each other to feel more connected and have fun together.