Family Counseling Services in Burke, VA.

Typically, family therapy will bring the entire family together in therapy sessions. However, it may be that individuals in the family also see the therapist alone. There may also be times when individuals who are not a member of the family (such as a teacher or school counselor) participate in a therapy session with the family if their participation would be of benefit to the family. We can help your family learn how to better solve problems and how to better express thoughts and feelings. In family therapy, family members will learn about family roles and rules. Family members will examine behavior patterns and learn to identify issues that cause conflict.

Whether it is mother/daughter conflict, father/son, struggles, or the whole family, the dynamics are often wrought with underlying emotions that need to be addressed. Rather than therapy for the child alone, often having the entire family meet takes the role of "identified patient" off anyone, and emotional knots can begin to loosen and be untied. I use role play, in addition to talk therapy, to engender greater empathy. When there are unhealthy "triangles," new structures are put in place so that clear communication can flow between members.

The focus of my family therapy work is the family as a whole. Working on the relationship between family members is more effective than just treating the person that is supposed to be in need of treatment. From my perspective, family therapy work sees individuals in relationships to others. As a result, the attention shifts from the symptomatic individual and problem is seen as the family as a whole. The goal of my family therapy work is to help establish a “functional family” – one in which needs and the desired goals of closeness, identity, self-expression, and meaning are met.

Family therapy can bring momentous relief to the daily battles that leave parents and children worn down and over-reactive. Finding the right family therapist makes all the difference and it is important to find someone with experience. Our family therapists are glad to offer a free consultation to you to speak about your concerns. Your experience with a family counselor will be a tremendous benefit.

Ashburn Psychological Services therapists and counselors offer a variety approaches to family therapy including: family systems therapy, interpersonal therapy, psychodynamic therapy, relationship education, etc. Often families come to therapy with an identified problem for one or more family member. Typical problems include divorce, remarriage, step parenting and blended family struggles, alcoholism/substance use, death or a medical illness or condition. At other times, the presenting problem has more to do with personality or communication issues for certain family members that can be addressed and worked on in treatment over time. We at Ashburn Psychological Services are here to help.

Every individual is impacted by their family of origin in some way or another. Whenever appropriate, we believe it is important to integrate family therapy in our services to best help our clients understand patterns, resolve conflict, and communicate more effectively . Incorporating family members, such as parents, spouses, or children is essential for a client to maintain progress within their family environment.

Robyn began her career working with at-risk youth. She has worked extensively with older children and adolescents. Her approach goes beyond behavioral interventions and resolving negative school performance. Robyn believes the key to successful adolescent therapy is tapping into the strengths of the family system and helping the youth and each family member to grow and thrive as individuals and as a cohesive unit. Robyn's approach to adolescent therapy unites and coheres the family.

Family therapy is indicated especially if the couple also is looking for help out of an emotionally difficult place. Family stresses can also provide stresses on each member of the couple. Through therapy, we work together to find the causes of the family stress, and then create strategies for managing the negative emotions and creating positive ones. Then we practice the strategies so that when similar stresses arise, each family member knows how to work within their family dynamic, keeping things calm.

I would say that about 25% of my coaching is in the family scope. This area sometimes takes the most time. It has so many fascist. I ask each party for the one "big" problem and we start at that point. Resolving one step at a time. In any area of the home, there is commonly layers of bad thinking that brings things people to the edge. In the past I did testing, but I have found by the 38 years of history that you and I must get in the middle of the "stuff". Testing can really be a cop-out for the lack of experience in a field.

Have any of your family members recently graduated from high school or college? I provide career counseling and coaching to young adults that may need guidance to get them on the right career path. Or they may feel stuck and as a parent we don't always know how to help them. Feel free to reach out and contact me to learn more. I always provide a free phone consult.

Life can present you with difficult situations which are hard to process and move past. These challenges are not on your timeline and affect everything. Having worked in many healthcare settings, I am familiar navigating life-changing events and grief. I understand the territory of encountering loss, coping with trauma, the complexity of the medical system and living with illness. These issues can have ripple effects on your relationships, sense of self and perceptions of the world. I know how complex things can get, and I will support you during this process.

Through family counseling, you can understand family dynamics that have impacted all of your relationships. Our families-of-origin are the training ground for our life skills. Communication skills are one example and are learned in our families; they can be relearned in therapy. Through various therapeutic approaches and techniques, I will assist you in creating a more loving and harmonious family system.

Did you know that not everyone who claims to practice family therapy was actually trained in family therapy? It's true. Only licensed marriage and family therapists are specifically trained to deal with the complex issues that can arise in families. Not surprising - you know your own family and how complicated it can be! It takes a therapist with experience and training to know how to balance the needs and wants of each family member, all while making sure everyone is heard and understood. Add to that the difficult tasks of helping the family as a whole achieve its goals for better communication and closer relationships, and it's clear it takes a professional to make lasting changes for you.