Family therapy services in 97128: McMinnville, OR. Relationship and couples counseling.

The human mind is incredibly complex. As a family grows from two adults to a multigenerational system involving multiple personalities, communication styles and temperaments, disagreements are inevitable. The difference between a well-functioning family and one that is suffering from "dysfunction", is HOW conflict is handled within the household. I will help your family identify counterproductive communication patterns and power imbalances, and establish a healthy parental hierarchy that will result in greater respect and family functioning.

As a family therapist, I see things from a systemic lens. This means that I see individuals as functioning within a larger family system. Family therapy can enhance growth in family members. Family therapy can also help family members learn new healthier ways of communicating and interacting with each other. One of my passions is helping families move from a shame base to a compassionate base.

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.

Clients who are having difficulties within their family are often surprised when they begin to understand that every member of the family (yes, even dogs and cats!) have developed fairly predictable roles within a bigger family system. It is like they are actors in a play that has been rehearsed over and over. Once they understand these patterns and roles, we move forward by searching for the patterns that are positive and the ones that that are causing pain in the family system. "Would you be willing to change those entrenched roles, if it means that your family can regain some of it's balance, playfulness, and love?" I ask them. If the answer is yes, I find that families soon benefit.