Family Counseling Services in Beltsville, MD.

As you learn more about yourselves as a family, you will also begin to better understand yourselves as individuals and a collective unit. You can identify your own needs and learn how to express them more honestly and respectfully. You can become a stronger and happier family, while increasing understanding and love for your family. Although you may be feeling hopeless right now, with guided support and a willingness to change, itis possible to re-build your family dynamics and have it be even better than it was before.

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.

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.

We are all relational beings, living within interactive, emotional systems. How we relate to our most significant others (spouse, children, siblings, etc.) can sometimes lapse into unpleasant scripts and powerful undercurrents of action-reaction, negative group-think, and ineffective authority roles. Restoring a sense of effective functioning, wellness and harmony (shalom) within family relationships can be aided by learning and practicing new ways to empathize, communicate, and collaborate with each other. Under certain conditions, families can even benefit from video sessions or teletherapy (if more convenient and less stressful than gathering everyone at a therapist's office!)

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.

In family therapy I meet with any number of family members together as a way to build understanding between family members and resolve conflicts that may exist. This tends to be a very active and dynamic interaction where each member is given the opportunity to express their views and concerns in a neutral environment. I, in turn provide feedback and help to clarify the issues.

Sometimes family members find it very difficult to communicate with each other. Adolescents may offer challenges that the family finds overwhelming. Parents may be sandwiched between grandparents and their children. One member of the family may have a mental illness that causes a lot of stress. There are many reasons why a family requests family therapy. This therapy may be short term. It can include all members of the family or some members of the family. I help the family develop skills they can use to improve relationships and move through stressful times.

When I see the family, I ask each one how they view the situation and how it affects them and the whole family. With parenting issues, I will see the child or teen alone and then the parents. I teach parents ways of listening to each other and understanding where each one is coming from. Once they validate each other, I help them problem solve using possible strategies with their child or young adult. These strategies will depend on the issue whether their child is experiencing symptoms of hyperactivity, addictions, learning processing difficulties, acting out in a new blended family, etc. Then I bring the family together for the parents to set limits on the child or young adult.

Our team of therapists can help you face your specific family issues and tailor a treatment plan specifically for you. Our team of counselors come from a wide variety of backgrounds, so we're confident we can find you help that's best suited for your unique challenges and goals. Working with us, you'll get results. Please don't wait, we're ready to help you today.

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.

If your family is experiencing conflict and misunderstanding, I can help. By sitting down together, learning to listen to one another and allowing me to help you sort out your differences, you can begin to relate to one another in a new way. My goal is to provide a calm and safe environment where each family member expresses his or her point of view and conflicts are resolved through understanding and consensus.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist I strongly believe that there is no one way to handle a problem. I work with my clients to highlight what works and use that knowledge to help improve what seems to not be working. I genuinely enjoy seeing the entire family in session since it provides rich information on how a family interacts and provides insight on the resources they have to tackle whatever problems come their way.

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.