Family Counseling Services in South Seattle, WA.

Relationships are some of the most shaping aspects of a person's world. Family therapy considers improving people's relationships as the most way to improve their lives. Whether it is better communication with a partner, warmer interactions between a parent and child, confronting a caretaker about abuse or neglect, or finding forgiveness for hurting someone you love, family therapy uses a system's approach to shape your relationships into what you want them to be.

No matter how you define your "home" or "family", it is often the place and the people you count on for some sense of stability. When family relationships are strained or broken, it can lead to mounting frustrations and daily conflict. There are times when meeting together with two or more family members is what is needed to establish a sense of shared understanding and a vision that will work for everyone. Our counselors at Mill Creek Family Services specialize in helping both individuals and families get back on track with strategies that enhance satisfying and meaningful outcomes for the entire family.

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.

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.

My extensive training in family systems theory helps me to promote better understanding and collaboration between family members. When one or more individuals are having problems I will help you understand them through focusing on family patterns as well as the parts played by individuals. We will come up with ideas and new ways of behaving based on deeper understanding of everyone’s contributing role within the family system. My goal is to help your family become a strong connected support system for any member in need of extra care.

Working with the whole family is a very powerful and effective therapy method. When family dynamics feel tense and tangled caused by events such as a child running away from home, addition of a new family member, issues between parents, teenager growing pains, etc, my therapy can find practical and health skills to reestablish these relationships. Together we will work through communication issues, the needs and the unspoken expectations of family members. A strong and healthy family system can be facilitated through a trustful therapeutic relationship we build together.

Finding a therapist that you trust that also practices family therapy is difficult in today's therapy landscape. Although many therapists and coaches work with individuals and couples, few have the specialized training to also facilitate effective family therapy. I am trained and licensed with specialized training in family dynamics and family therapy. Once we have your family together, we will work to understand the dynamics and the emotions that drive them. As your therapist and guide, I will facilitate new solutions to conflicts and/or direct the family through complex changes, grief, or other emotional challenges and help you find your stability again.