Conflict arises in all families but when the conflict can't be resolved then it's definitely time to seek help.
Why is there conflict?
Family life isn't all a bunch of roses and families don't always wake up smiling. Conflict can occur and conflict can arise for many reasons.
The main issues with family life occur after important life events and changes in life. Families are ever evolving so it's important to build effective coping mechanisms to deal with life changes.
Life events like a new baby, a death in the family, moving home and divorce can cause problems in family life.
Other changes like a change of school, or job, starting university, redundancy, unemployment, sibling conflict or difficulties in adjusting to a stepfamily can all cause conflict too.
Trust issues can also cause big problems in family life and the reasons why this is an issue needs to be discussed.
Maybe one person in the family is causing all the problems, has a dysfunctional way of dealing with stress, and if so then this needs to be addressed.
Check out this post for more reasons why you may need family counselling.
Coping mechanisms
If you don't talk about issues in family life then the conflict can get worse, leading to disagreements, arguments, and fighting. This could even lead to physical abuse at an extreme level.
Another way of dealing with conflict can be avoidance. This could be as simple as working extra hours, spending longer at the gym, and playing computer games all day, to avoidance through substance or alcohol abuse, where feelings and emotions can be blunted.
Learning to deal with disagreements in an acceptable way is an important part of family counselling.
How can family counselling help?
Family counselling as a unit is important as it encourages talking therapy. It can help people hear each other's point of view. Each member of a family will have different perspectives on why there are issues due to their age and their role in the family and it's important that each person is really listened to.
A family counsellor or therapist is the facilitator in the counselling session and can help families understand where their issues come from and help find a solution to problems in the family unit. A family counsellor is non-judgmental and a session is a safe environment and everything is confidential.
The benefits of family counselling
As well as learning to listen to others, and come to a resolution to a particular problem, family counselling can help teach better ways to communicate in general. Rather than 'bottling up' emotions or avoiding problems, better ways to communicate are suggested and practised.
It can also help increase self-awareness and understanding of each person's role in a family. Parent/child relationships can be strengthened as well as a couple's relationship too.
Conclusion
Don't leave it too late to seek family counselling, as family relationships are so important and leaving major issues unresolved can cause problems for years to come.
Family counselling does cost money but if your family is on the verge of a breakdown it's surely worth the expense.
Let me know, would you consider family counselling?
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I can imagine that at certain times of your life that family counselling can really help people understand each other more and come together.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely consider family counselling if I ever felt that we needed it. When you are part of a family it can be really easy to end up stuck in a bit of a routine or let problems build up. Talking to each other and finding ways to cope when things maybe are harder are so important and I am all for counselling if it can help a family open up to each other and create a better environment and family unit for everyone!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing more worth spending money on than family therapy. Many may not want to do it but its worth the money to resolve conflicts and rebuild your family.
ReplyDeleteFamily counselling can certainly be beneficial in certain situations. I would definitely use it if we needed to.
ReplyDeleteI've never considered it as I don't think I need it but I can see the appeal. Sometimes you need a mediator or someone to help you discuss issues x
ReplyDeleteI think family counselling should be more widely available and free to people too. There are many problems nowadays within families, but they just don't get sorted out. If there was a free or cheap service this would help more families.
ReplyDeleteI would absolutely consider it if I felt that we needed to address some situations.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely consider it, I think it's great to be able to have someone there to help mediate conversations and act as a go-between.
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