Family Counselling Services in Burlington, ON.

Family therapy often benefits from a client-centered approach. Throughout our sessions, we will focus on communication and the openness to share one’s feelings honestly. Using exercises, we will work on improving communication, listening skills and emotional honesty. The use of behavior therapy may also be incorporated where we seek to recognize and change destructive behavior patterns. Use of these approaches encourages families to engage in healthy communication styles and break habitual cycles of unhealthy behaviors.

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. While I do not offer family therapy sessions, my clinic, Psychotherapy Collective has many child and family therapists availability to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ensure they are the proper fit for your journey. Visit our family therapy page to find a therapist https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/services/child-and-family-therapy

Familial units can oftentimes become caught in cycles of miscommunication and misinterpretation that builds up and solidifies through the years. My approach to working with families is identifying such cycles and unearthing and understanding each member’s intentions. I believe that more often than not, family members have good intentions, and when this is brought to light, defenses can soften, and the healing process can ensue. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to ensure we are a good fit.

Family therapy is in many ways the most difficult of all therapy’s simply because you have the issues of not just one person but also all involved. There is a multiplication factor equal to the number within the family plus the dynamic of how the family organizes itself around communication, conflict, and intimacy and supports it. All successful families do two things extremely well . . . create a sense of belonging and allow for the freedom to be an individual. When I work with families I bring over twenty five years of experience to every session. Almost 100% of us across the nation . . . when asked what is the most important thing in our life, will answer ‘family’!

A common problem that I see when helping families is that parents struggle to get their kids to finish tasks, stay organized, and cannot motivate them to do, well, anything. “Unless it’s YouTube or a video game they’re just not interested and I don’t want them always depend on me for everything.” There are a number of tools and methodologies that can help with these problems. It does take time and commitment; however, with the right support and guidance easier, friction-free, happier days are very possible.

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.

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.

Our relationships in our families often bring you love, joy, and a sense of fulfillment. But when things aren't going well, your relationship can often be exhausting and painful. Family therapy provides a safe and fair space for all of you to be heard, and can help you discover and process the root of the issue. Family therapy is hard work, but when all individuals are willing to put the work in, great things can happen.

I am a firm believer that nothing impacts our spiritual and emotional well-being or happiness more than the quality of our closest relationships. There are countless complicating factors that impact families, it may be blending families, parenting differences, ex-spouses or in-law problems, financial stress and health problems, to name a few. Family therapy addresses the psychological and emotional problems hurting families. Interventions are customized to the requirements, needs and directions of clients. The goal is to empower the family to function in a way that better meets the emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of each member and the family system as a whole.

Conflict and other issues often challenge the integrity of the family. Poor communication can be one of the main contributors. Many families give up unnecessarily, leaving minimal or even no contact between family members. Family therapy can help individuals understand the root of the dysfunction and open respectful lines of communication presenting the potential for healthy family relationships. Learning to let go of the past, healthy communication and conflict resolution can often lay the foundation to build a solid future of healthy relationships.

Family relationships are complex and are oftentimes impacted by various events, life transitions, and societal shifts. I believe that every family is unique and that your efforts to navigate challenges are valid and purposeful. As a family therapist, my aim is to help you strengthen your relationships with one another and to support you in finding a balance between your individual and family needs. I also help you to identify possible areas of stuckness and conflict as well as strengths and resources, so that together, we can create hoped-for solutions. Contact me or book a free consultation if you wish to learn more.