Family therapy services in 23150: Sandston, VA. Relationship and couples counseling.

Family life can be a source of strength for individuals in a postmodern culture. However, most families experience challenges at some point whether it is coping with the birth of a child, an empty nest, unemployment, the heartbreak of an affair, or caring for an elderly parent. Family therapy can help you make difficult decisions together in an atmosphere of trust and collaboration.

Families! So maddening! So crazy! So beautiful! Here are 6 basic principles I apply to working with families: #1: Find the strongest member of the family, the one who's most able to change & give that person encouragement & tools for altering harmful family patterns. #2: Break apart triangles--where 2 people talk about or align against a third person #3: Encourage "duo's" in the family-- the building of one-on-one relationships of honesty & affection. #4: Discover & enhance the strengths of individuals & the family as a whole. #5: Help the family find things to laugh about & enjoy together. Humor can break though the ugliest feelings or barriers. #6: And over it all, love and more love.

Kimberly works with children/adolescents in the context of their family. Family is a system in which each member has a role to play and rules to respect. Members of the system are expected to respond to each other in a certain way according to their role, which is determined by relationship agreements. Within the boundaries of the system, patterns develop as certain family member's behavior is caused by and causes other family member's behaviors in predictable ways. Maintaining the same pattern of behaviors within a system may lead to balance in the family system, but also to dysfunction. Kimberly helps her patients improve the relationships within the family which are causing sickness.