Family Counseling Nearby -- Learn How Families Can Benefit From Therapy Online
If you and your family have been at odds lately, you may feel like it's time to get some outside help. You may find yourself in the market for a family therapist to help you work through your problems and get back on solid ground. You're not alone. Many families have sought help for breakdowns in communication or numerous other issues that can grow worse the longer they go unresolved.
This article offers information about family counseling services, including marriage counseling services, child counseling services, and free family counseling services for families in crisis. Help is out there, no matter what issue you and your family are experiencing.
Family counseling—the basics
Family counseling (or psychotherapy) is designed to help families in crisis reduce family conflicts and create better outcomes. A family therapist may work with individual members of a family, just the parents, or the family as a whole—it all depends on what the particular issues are.
Family therapists help families deal with everyday challenges as well as times of distress related to mental illness within the family, the death or incarceration of a family member, marriage issues, or other specific issues within the family that may contribute to stress and family arguments. Family counseling is an extension of individual counseling that provides families professional advice and coping strategies.
Where to find free family counseling
Local churches, schools, and community organizations often offer free family counseling services. Finding free family counseling services isn't always easy, but can be worth it if your family needs help and you're on a strict budget.
There are also options for getting free family counseling services online. Online counseling sessions work in a similar way to in-person sessions—you're just speaking with a therapist via the internet. Online counseling platforms connect you with licensed specialists who are just as well trained as their in-person counterparts. And just as would an in-person therapist, an online therapist can help you and your family get to the bottom of whatever may be causing your issues.
Family counseling services online
Today's therapy providers know how important it is to maintain good mental health and have responded with affordable and subscription-based therapy options online.
Using therapy platforms like BetterHelp doesn't require that family members are in the same location. Sessions can take place in a video chat room; family can join or be invited to a session from wherever they are—as long as they have a solid internet connection.
Families often find value in having a professional third-party opinion to help them identify and resolve family issues that they haven't been able to resolve independently. Many families learn in therapy that they have never learned how to communicate properly with each other. Miscommunication is the cause of many family breakdowns. When you take part in online therapy, your therapist helps you learn how to communicate and respond to real-life family issues that may be keeping your family apart.
Couples or marriage counseling
This relationship-based form of counseling focuses on couples who are in a serious relationship or married. Marriage counseling can be conducted by licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) or other mental health professionals who specialize in counseling and support services for those who are in relationships.
When people participate in marriage counseling sessions, they often speak to their therapists about issues plaguing the marriage that have led to marital discord and, in some cases, even divorce. Marriage counseling helps each person in a relationship hear what the other person is saying with the help of an unbiased third party. The counselor has no stake in the family outcome, making it easier to make a clear assessment of the situation and offer solutions to build back the relationship.
Online platforms such as Regain offer help from therapists trained to work with those in relationships who need assistance to improve their connections.
Child counseling
When children experience emotional issues and turmoil in their young lives, it can affect them and their families. In cases where children and families cannot resolve their emotional issues independently, counseling is often recommended. Child counselors specialize in providing therapeutic solutions for children suffering from issues with chronic mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These issues can develop in children due to genetics or circumstances in their environment that have caused lasting trauma. Child therapists can also help children with behavioral issues or developmental delays.
Children process trauma differently than adults, and the effects can last a lifetime if left untreated. If you’ve seen symptoms of trauma or mental health problems from your child or teen, you may want to consider taking them to a therapist trained to work with children or adolescents. A child therapist can treat their mental disorders and help them recover from whatever they are dealing with.
A child therapist facilitates therapy sessions with the child and caregivers to help families resolve issues and develop behavior plans that help the child and family to create a harmonious relationship between them. The earlier a child receives treatment, the less likely it is that chronic mental health problems can have long-term effects.
How mental health affects families
When one or more family members are affected by chronic mental illness or mental health concerns, this can cause issues within the family dynamic if there is not professional intervention. Families may not understand or recognize mental health symptoms in their relatives and mistake symptomatic behavior for apathy or disinterest in the family dynamic, particularly when dealing with undiagnosed mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
When a family member has mental health challenges, it is important to make sure they get proper treatment and have family support. If the family is to benefit, the person suffering from mental health issues has to commit to follow all prescribed therapy plans and take any prescribed medications to help mitigate mental illness symptoms.
Benefits of family counseling
When families participate in counseling, family members learn how to communicate better to resolve family issues when they begin, preventing them from escalating into long, drawn-out family dramas.
When families come together, they can help keep one another on track towards achieving individual and family goals. One of the best takeaways from family counseling and therapy is that families learn to work together as a team—instead of working against each other. Online counselors can provide group therapy sessions for families regardless of their location. Platforms like BetterHelp make it easy for families to sync schedules and meet online virtually to attend their family counseling sessions. Audio options include logging in to therapy platforms for audio-only sessions or joining virtual conference calls by phone.
Takeaway
There is help for families who are in crisis or who have members struggling with chronic symptoms of mental illness. When you search for family counseling, you can consider in-person therapy or online therapy options. You will want to take into account your location, your schedule, and the type of help you're looking for when deciding what type of therapy to take part in.
Trained therapy providers can help broken families pick up the pieces and begin anew with better communication and coping skills. Online therapists are experts who are just as highly trained as their in-person counterparts. They can provide an affordable means for improving a family's quality of life.
If you're ready to improve the quality of your family's life, start by reaching out to a BetterHelp family therapist. You and your family can improve your relationships and enjoy being a family more than ever.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs):
Is family counseling covered by insurance?
Whether or not insurance covers family counseling depends upon the specific type of counseling and the insurance provider a person uses. Many insurance organizations have specific stipulations that determine whether counseling will be covered. For perspective, Medicare will cover up to 80% of the counseling cost, so long as a preapproved specialist, such as a licensed psychotherapist, provide it. People considering family counseling should reach out to their insurance providers to see the rules for providing coverage before finding a family therapist.
Is family counseling a good idea?
For both couples and families, a mental health counselor can help with situations that are causing stress, grief, anger, or conflict. Many families find that counseling services help them grow closer to one another and resolve problems they are experiencing. If you believe family counseling may be the right choice for you, you can look both in your local area and online for help.
What's the difference between a therapist and a counselor?
When seeking counseling services, it is easy to be confused by titles. The best family mental health professional for you and your family could be a therapist or they could be a counselor. A license is generally the difference between these two job titles. A licensed therapist may be called a counselor, but a life coach with no licensing could also be defined as a counselor. When identifying potential family counselors, it’s best to inquire about the professional's licenses or history to determine if they will be a good match for you.
How does family counselling work?
The process of family counseling may look slightly different depending on the exact type of counseling, i.e., marriage, child, general, etc. In most cases, family counselors will start by talking with each person to understand the situation. In couples therapy, sessions may be done entirely with talking, whereas family counselors working with a child may use play therapy, a strategy some therapists find more effective. Whether a person is working with a licensed psychotherapist or a mental health counselor, the professional will help to identify and understand the issues, and then build a path to resolving any conflict.
How do you pay for counseling?
Paying for counseling services varies depending on whether or not a person has insurance. An in-person therapist may charge around $75-$150 for a 45-minute session once a week. Online therapy is often a good bit less. A person may cover these expenses out of pocket or with the help of insurance. Large companies may also offer subsidization packages through employee assistance plans. Find a family therapist whose fees work within your budget.
What is the first step in counseling?
The first step family counselors will take is getting to know a family and the challenging experience(s) that have brought them in. In couples therapy, this may be a sit-down-and-chat session where a counselor gets to know each person. When children are involved, family counselors may use play therapy to get to know a child better. The best family therapists find that getting to know a situation before diving in helps to build a path toward bringing families closer together.
When should you seek family counseling?
Most therapists agree that the most stressful situations are those that are left unaddressed. If, after a conflict, families or significant others seem unable to function at their normal capacity or have extreme emotional reactions, it could be a sign that family counseling may help. A significant breakdown in communication, therapists find, is also a strong sign that counseling could be in order. Finally, if your family has experienced a trauma or other significant life change, therapy could help get everyone over that hurdle.
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