Family Counselling Services in Puslinch, ON.

Family therapy addresses the relationships and dynamics within your home. I work collaboratively with all members—parents, children, and even grandparents—to strengthen communication and understanding. Together we identify patterns causing conflict or stress in daily life. By practicing new strategies for listening and empathy, families learn to solve problems as a team. Each person’s voice is heard during our sessions, building mutual respect. The benefit is a more harmonious home where everyone feels valued and supported.

Family Systems Approach. The family systems approach is a theory developed by psychiatrist Murray Bowen in the 1950s. Specifically, Dr. Bowen built family systems theory and its concepts assume that there is an emotional system governing human relationships in families. Based on the roles within the system, people are expected to interact with and respond to one another in a certain way. Patterns develop within the system, and each member's behaviors impact the other members in predictable ways.

I believe that relationships are a key determinant to one’s mental health. I focus on unpacking dysfunctional relational dynamics commonly experienced in one’s family of origin such as: enmeshment, co-dependency and people pleasing. Together, we may explore early attachment styles, underlying trauma wounds including intergenerational trauma and communicating healthy boundary setting

In family therapy, the focus is on the interactions of those that are affected by the presenting concern and strengthening relationships of the family system. Although some concerns may appear to apply to one individual, involvement of family can have positive benefits on both the individual and overall family functioning. While family therapy may often focus on child-parent relationships, other loved ones such as grandparents, caregivers, siblings etc. are invited to attend where you see fit. As the therapist, I strive to help facilitate a space in which each family member has equal opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives. Contact me today to book a free consultation.

Family dynamics are complicated. Each family has established patterns, such as how everyone communicates within the family system, how they deal with stressful situations and conflict, their roles in the family unit and how members seek support from one another. Reach out to schedule a free 15-minute family therapy consultation to see if I am the right fit for your family.

Families are immersed in issues and transformative experiences that give rise to personal stories that shape the identity of each member within it and the group as a whole. Although the issues may be diverse, opportunity exists to construct new narratives capable of not only resolving them, but producing new changes, directions, and purpose in life. As a practitioner of narrative therapy, a therapy often used with families to reauthor dominant stories upheld through an integration of new perspectives, it is my pleasure to be able to collaborate in assisting with the first steps towards this.

In the contemporary world, families manifest in diverse and dynamic forms, often encountering unique challenges. At Atlas Therapy, we empower family units to nurture psychological and emotional connections. Through recognizing imbalances, we guide members in acquiring functional communication skills, fostering an environment where each individual feels heard, supported, and understood. Our goal is to strengthen the bonds of all families, irrespective of their shapes, sizes, or compositions.

Within each family are the experiences of each family member. In family therapy, you, and your family can explore how each member’s roles and perspectives impact the family as a whole. You can learn to cultivate a family environment grounded in respect for individual experiences, sense of connection and shared understanding. I work with individuals, couples and families. Book a free consultation to explore if we are a good fit for therapy.

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.

Sherry enjoys helping families understand one another and implement changes that will improve the family dynamics. She meets with the individuals who are part of the family system, listens to their issues and concerns, and then brings everyone together to discuss the issues and, when needed, develop a plan. When the group meeting takes place, she ensures that everyone is emotionally safe by establishing 'guidelines for respectful discussion'.

It is not uncommon in families for patterns to be set and sometimes these patterns are not healthy or helpful for family relationships, or individual mental health. We often learn to tolerate our family members’ behaviour and have difficulty speaking up or expressing how their behaviour impacts us. In my sessions with families, I encourage open, honest communication and ensure that each individual feels validated and gets equal time to be heard. Often difficult conversations can be more successful when there is a neutral person facilitating and promoting respectful, non-confrontational interaction. If you think your family would benefit from my support and guidance, please book a free consu

Each family has its own unique personality that impacts the functioning of its members. I am trained in a variety of therapeutic models and the approach I take will be catered to your family dynamics and the special challenges that brought you here today. When working with the family, I help improve their ability communicate openly to challenging issues and work through ups and downs in their relationships.

Every family is different, but every family deserves to feel love. When this is not the case, it is time to change things up. Everyone in the family is important and deserves to be heard, understood and respected. Together, we can make this happen. This is important because this will open the doors to the needed healing and the formation of healthy expectations and boundaries that will help make sharing your love for each other easier.