Family therapy services in Homeland, Baltimore. Relationship and couples counseling.

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!)

I primarily work with families who have been impacted by chronic health or medical conditions. Managing the burden of a medical condition can be overwhelming at times, and it can have an impact on the whole family. The families I work with benefit from parent support, increasing confidence in the medical setting, and improving interactions around symptoms. This work results in an overall improvement in quality of life not just for the person who has the medical condition, but for the family as a whole.

Family relationships are hard and demanding and frustrating. We strive for peace and harmony in our homes and often find ourselves angry, in tears and feeling powerless. I work with nuclear families, blended families and adoptive families who are living in chaos. I educate parents on setting appropriate limits and boundaries and STICKING TO THEM while also teaching kids how to have respect, follow rules as well as having an appropriate voice and getting their needs met. You WILL see positive results; bringing structure and balance into the home is the bare minimum you will experience, when you find yourselves laughing together as a family, you will know you have arrived.

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.

A family is a living organism, and when one member is in pain or confusion the whole family unit is part of that pain or confusion--sometimes as part of the cause, and always as a potential part of the cure. I offer families help in seeing how family members may contribute to each other's suffering and, more importantly, how they can help each other reduce the suffering.

Helping families work through difficult struggles in which family members are stuck in unhealthy patterns, Carol Corcoran, Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist can help the family regain connection and stability. She works with the family together then meets with different subsystems utilizing a well researched approach called Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, based on Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. This is an approach that helps family members feel more attached and safe with one another. To learn more go to http://www.creatinghealthyconnections.com/newsite/families.html

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.

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.

Christian counseling can benefit marriages, individuals struggling with personal issues, and families experiencing difficulties. Christian counseling is for those who want to honor God in their personal life, marriage, and family by aligning with God's truths and becoming fully reliant on God. God is our ultimate healer, and Christian counseling is one avenue that God has provided to those who need healing and life change.

In addition to marriage counseling, I have also helped with parenting issues, relationships between aging parents and their adult children, as well as between twins (I'm a twin). I see family conflict as normal and inevitable part of a growing and changing family. The key is how we communicate and resolve our tensions. Using Bowen family systems and emotionally-focused family therapy, I facilitate safe and open communication while being sensitive to the family hierarchy.

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.

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.

As a new mom myself, I know how challenging the adjustment to parenthood can be. No matter the age of your children, family therapy is a helpful way for each member to express their concerns and learn to work together toward common goals. Parents will leave feeling more united as a team, and children/teens will leave feeling understood and loved. Family therapy is also beneficial for siblings and extended relatives.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are you and your spouse at odds as to how raise children? Are there power struggles in the home; Children vs. Parents? Families are more than groups of people who share the same address and genes. Although conflicts occasionally arise, a family should be a source of Christian love and support. My objective is to counsel family members on how to strengthen the family with characteristics of a Christian home; love, joy, peace, patience...fruits of the Spirit. Counseling may include all family members, or just those able or willing to participate. Single parents are encouraged. I look forward to working with you, and applaud you for taking the first step towards a peaceful coexistence!