Family Counseling Services in University Park, TX.

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.

Let’s be honest—parents don’t have all the answers, although they wish they did. But they always have a lot of heart and a lot of love for their children. When raising children becomes challenging—or even overwhelming—know that you are not alone. Sometimes parents need help with their children, adolescents, and teens. Every parent has questions about how to improve their parenting, deal with difficult situations, and strengthen family life. Our professional family counselors can give you the guidance you are looking for…and we will also be sure to remind you that if you are filled with a lot of love for your children then you really are a great parent already!

Do you feel disconnected from your wife or kids? Does it feel like you’ve lost control of your home? Or have you experienced something difficult within your family that’s not been resolved? If so, I can help. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist I’m an expert in relationships, and have been trained to identify the patterns within families that aren’t working, develop healthier ones, improve communication and understanding, and help families forge a new path forward. This often looks like a combination of family sessions, parent sessions, and individual sessions. I provide online therapy over HIPAA-secure video, and if given the opportunity, would be honored to serve your family.

You can think of a family as a team. Each member has a contribution to make and has an impact on the other members. When a child, teen or parent is struggling it affects the entire family. For more than 25 years I've helped families work through challenges and build on their strengths in order to enjoy richer more fulfilling lives. I provide a supportive atmosphere where your family can learn problem-solving and coping skills, the keys to more effective communication and improved ways of relating to each other.

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!

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 helps family members improve communication and resolve conflicts. I am trained in several evidence-based family therapies approaches. When conducting family therapy, I am treating the family unit not simply one person in the family. Therefore, I examine the family relationships, behaviors, and patterns and how those factors impact the functioning of the 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.

Having a healthy family with fulfilling relationships is very possible. Its normal to argue and fight with your family members but having a unified family full of meaningful connection is very possible. Relationships are difficult and require a lot of work. Every family is unique and once you are aware of what your family's patterns and dynamics are you can become a strong, healthy, fully connected unit.

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.

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.

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.

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.