Family Counselling Services in Oakville, ON.

Sometimes the difficulties occurring in a family are systemic - which means that there is not really a 'problem person' but a family interaction malfunction. In family counselling, it is understood that everyone in the family impacts and affects everyone else and the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It is also understood that the way to 'fix' a family problem is not by simply changing specific behaviours, but by changing the structure of the family. This can be a very important process for the many different types of families that we have in our society.

All families are the same and all families are different. Therapy is based on the family as an organised social unit that goes through phases of gradual but emotionally-charged change. Roles and functions often collide with personal needs and changing individual needs and hormonal behaviours that will clash with parenting styles triggering power struggles. Family dynamics must find a way to balance the conflicting childrens' needs to assert distinct identities while integrating conflicting parental values. Family therapy is difficult but growth-inducing for all but I find it helpful to see individuals separately for them to express ideas and feelings freely as it helps with communication.

Family Therapy involved treating the whole family system, rather than just an individual. It can be one of the more efficient forms of therapy, but also very challenging allowing each person in the family to have a voice. Getting family members to come is a big step. Family therapy helps develop new rules, attitudes, feelings and relationship patterns that work more effectively.

For me, Family Therapy is distinctly different from any other form of therapy, as there are many stories to tell and many points of view to be shared. Because of my experience as a therapist and a parent, I understand how difficult it can be when the family unit is not functioning the way everyone wants it to. As a trained and experienced therapist, I can ensure that all of your family members feel heard and understood, and are willing to work together to help everyone reconnect.

The Refuge can support your family to heal and recover from a variety of life challenges, including trauma, addictions, grief and loss, separation and divorce, conflict, complex family dynamics, and other transitions and stressors. Our approach is trauma-specific, body- and emotion-focused, and grounded in attachment theory, neuroscience and family systems to help you and your loved ones restore respectful communication, mutual understanding, repair attachment injuries, develop emotion regulation skills, promote attuned parenting, and reconnect with joy and enjoyment with one another. Our team offers individual, couples and family sessions.

Therapy can provide a safe environment for families that seek to repair their relationships. The problems generally stem from a much earlier time, when it was hard for family members to understand the nature of their conflict. Each person often has felt hurt and misunderstood, and these feelings have perpetuated over time. My approach is to encourage dialogue between them to help them understand the dynamics that have prevented a fulfilling relationship. I also try to establish the positive intentions of the work they are about to do. Therapy is intended to give them insight into what went wrong and how to repair the relationship while working through the difficult feelings and mistrust.

Family relationships can be complicated. All families have their own patterns, and unique sibling and parents/child relationships. I can help your family members communicate in different ways and change long standing patterns within the family unit. I can facilitate healing from past events and misunderstandings, and shift your family relationships into different life stages.

Family therapy can look very different depending on who attends. Some family therapy may involve adult family members struggling with a conflict, sometimes it involves parents and their young children or teens. In Family Therapy treatment is dependent on the goal, but typically involves improving communication, helping family members to listen to each other, help them to develop strategies for coping with conflict and/or differences, learn to get support from one another, improve closeness between family members, accept those elements that cannot change, identify their role within the family (and make changes if desired) and shift their perceptions of each other.

Strong families assist each member to venture into the world as responsible and confident individuals. Counselling can help families build the strong foundation of understanding that’s required to do this. In Family Counselling you’ll learn the skills of effective listening that lead to better communication, as well as the ability to do conflict resolution in respectful and helpful ways.

Most family therapists inadvertently create more chaos through their well-intentioned efforts to assist a family move through a change process. Why? Brains are inherently deregulated (all of us, may I add) and most talking and dialoguing misses brain-centric problems that need more intensive help. Many times the emotional trauma created by years of solving problems ineffectively can wreak havoc on the brain's parasympathetic nervous system, not ever giving the family a break from flight or fight thinking. Contact us for an innovative neuroscience solution to family dysfunction. Kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161.

My practice provides hope, guidance, and support to families to overcome challenges and nurture changes addressing the psychological health needs of the members. The therapeutic approaches rely heavily on input from you and your family. This means, that the direction the interventions take are based on your family goals and what you wish to achieve. Therapeutic approaches and interventions are effective and evidence-based and the most commonly utilize in my practice are, Collaborative Problem Solving, Family Systems Therapy, Attachment-Focused Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy.

Being a parent is hard. There are no instruction manuals and no guidebooks. We all become parents aware that it's the most important job we'll ever do, so now is the time to stop feeling frustrated and anxious, burned out and ineffective. My experience in working with parents and my training in solid parenting theory will combine with your vision for your family and your own personal approach to parenting to create the family harmony you're looking for. End the fighting, nagging, and disconnection with personalized strategies and tools designed just for your family. Don't let another day slip by feeling as though you can't get through to those you love the most. Your family is worth it!

As a trained Marriage & Family Therapist, I can help you heal hurts in your most significant relationships. Misunderstandings and conflicts between parents and children, siblings or extended family can rob us of the joy in our relationships. My approach focuses on helping to build mutual understanding of one another and teaching strategies to improve communication and conflict resolution.