Family Counseling Services in Richardson, TX.

Family therapy is important because sometimes everyone needs a safe, healthy, intentional place to be heard about issues that are happening in the home. I help navigate families overcome their challenges and find solutions that work best for their family. Parenting, sibling conflict, divorce, grief, and social or school expectations, are all common topics on family sessions.

If Melanie agrees its appropriate, Melanie works with families according to their clinical needs as individuals as well as the family as a whole. Structural family therapy is used to strengthen certain relationships, say, between the siblings, in order to improve family life. Melanie is very sensitive to only discussing certain problems within certain levels of the family, so you can expect people to be shuffled in and out of the therapy room depending on what's discussed.

Our families, if nothing else, play one of the most important roles in who we were, who we are, and who we will become whether we are with them or not. Learning to break free of hardwired response patterns in families can feel like trying to drive forwards when the car is in reverse. Family therapy is very different than traditional therapy- in a family session, the whole "family" is the client- meaning that no one person the focal point of change. It is our system, our patterns, that make or break how we engage, learn, and love one another. It is my hope that I can help your family create new bonds, heal old hurts, and learn to build a new system that supports each persons growth.

I believe that the family structure is critical to each individuals overall mental well being. Often times, there are multiple lives, that intersect in families and that can lead to arguments, struggle and strife. Whether you are in a family of 2 or a family of 6 sometimes we all need a little help understanding each other. I am here to help support you and your family in navigating the complications that come with all of those personalities living under one roof!

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.

Families are like the baby mobile that hangs over the crib. If you pull one character, the whole thing shakes. Our families are this connected, and if you can begin to understand the roles that everyone plays, you can look at yourself and engage the system differently. Most patterns are predictable in the family (though your family patterns are different than mine) but if you recognize this and can begin to observe yourself acting differently. This will have a huge impact and change the dynamics of the family. Many times we get frustrated when we focus on what we think one member should be doing or not doing, but the change (and the relief) occurs when we look at and change ourselves.

Family therapy is an essential part of the therapy process. The burden of change is not exclusively on the individual client. Underwood Counseling & Consultation, PLLC believes that a family must explore their role in the dysfunction in order for healing to occur. Family therapy offers clients the opportunity to improve communication, examine roles, & align values & beliefs.

We provide a safe place for you to talk about difficult issues, sort out your situation and your goals, and start to take make healthy choices to take care of yourself, your family, and your children. We provide a space to let go of some of the self doubt and anxiety and help you gain perspective and the tools needed to get your life back on track. It is important for parents to take time for themselves to get their anxiety or depression under control so that they are in a better frame of mind to be a support to their family.

When individual challenges affect the family dynamics, it is important to work on healthy communication and better interactions to resolve tension and conflict. These challenges are sometimes better overcome in an objective and nonjudgmental environment. Learning tangible tools to navigate through ongoing and upcoming challenges are beneficial and helpful to achieve a harmony among individuals in the family unit.

Families who come in for counseling as a family are given a chance to work through issues in a safe environment-- where trust, respect, and honor are learned, given, and received--because the family is intentional about learning new strategies. Families learn that it is counterproductive to have an "identified patient" in the family, where one family member is "tagged" to be the only one acting out and causing family distress. Biblical and Family Systems principles may be applied to have the whole family become engaged in the positive change and nurturing process.

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 dysregulated (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 dystunction. Kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161

Family therapy looks at the entire family system—parents, children, extended family members—to identify strengths and problematic behaviours. I collaborate with families on strategies for utilizing their own capabilities for resolving problems, and on developing effective communication and problem-solving skills for preventing conflicts. I specialize in working with families of teenagers, which is an age that can be challenging for both the teenagers and their parents.

I provide counseling to families when an issue is affecting multiple family members. The advantage is that everyone involved gains understanding of the problem and the feelings of other family members. In turn, that enables the family to work together to resolve problems more quickly than if each family member had individual therapy sessions. I recognize that families have busy schedules so I offer after school and evening appointments.