Family Therapy

Throughout our lives we as individuals change and as a result our relationships change. Sometimes these changes can be challenging for families to navigate and the support and guidance of family therapy can help. By dedicating time for your family to gather to have honest, clarifying, healing conversations, you are investing in your relationships.

Family therapy offers a supported, inclusive space, whether in an individual session, a half or full-day intensive, or ongoing sessions, to help you better understand each other, say the things that need to be said, make and receive amends, and set forth upon a path in the family partnership that feels peaceful, authentic and empowered.

Familial relationships are central to our lives, but are often subject to conflict due to external stressors, competing needs and personalities among family members. Family therapy can be transformative for families navigating conflict and seeking to strengthen relationships among loved ones.

Elizabeth Bristow helps families foster strong and healthy dynamics that benefit the collective well-being through family therapy sessions.

Some of the topics covered in family therapy are:

Life stage transitions (birth, adolescence, marriage, divorce, aging, death)
Gender, sexuality and relationships
Navigating relationships with challenging family members
Facing difficult life situations (illness, death, occupational shifts, financial strain, substance abuse, mental illness)

Benefits of Family Therapy:

Family therapy has many benefits for families enduring any challenges. The overarching benefits include improved communication among family members, improved family dynamics, and enhanced overall family functioning.

Additionally, mental health professionals have successfully used family therapy to help treat certain mental health and behavioral conditions experienced by a single member of the family. Some of these conditions include anxiety disorders, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, conduct disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Families who have neurodivergent members with conditions such as autism or ADHD can also benefit from family therapy.

Approach to Family Therapy:

Elizabeth follows a client-centered, collaborative approach to family therapy. She is dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive space in which family members can engage in honest conversations and work through sensitive issues. Elizabeth facilitates open communication among family members and promotes understanding. Through these family therapy sessions, she empowers families to work through their challenges together and grow stronger as a family unit.

Areas of Expertise in Couples Therapy:

Elizabeth works with families experiencing a number of challenges, and her specialized approach supports families in their journey to become more resilient. Her areas of expertise include parenting issues, blended families, sibling conflicts, and navigating life transitions. Elizabeth also specializes in addressing the challenges that come from aging or having a medical condition, and she works with families who are experiencing grief after the loss of a loved one.

The Family Therapy Process:

During your initial family therapy session, Elizabeth will collect background information about your family and the challenges you have been facing. She will ask each family member about their concerns and hopes for therapy, and she will encourage everyone to talk and listen to each other. During this first consultation, she will also observe and assess the family dynamics in order to better formulate a plan for treatment.

Subsequent family therapy sessions will focus on addressing certain problems the family is experiencing and meeting goals set during the first session. Elizabeth involves all family members in the therapeutic process as she helps them clarify their words and feelings and understand the impact of their words and behaviors. Sessions will focus on developing strategies family members can use to implement positive change. Elizabeth will also suggest strategies for changing problematic behaviors and patterns.

The number of sessions a family will need to attend depends on their reasons for seeking therapy and their specific goals. Some families can benefit from long-term therapy, while others can successfully arrive at their goals within a shorter time frame. For some, intensives are valuable opportunities for families to gather for a longer period of time to delve into deeper issues, to dedicate time over a weekend so that families can travel if needed, or for families experiencing acute challenges.

Family Therapy Techniques:

Elizabeth utilizes multiple evidence-based techniques and approaches during family therapy sessions, and she tailors her approach to meet each family’s unique needs and dynamics. Some of the techniques she uses include:

Structural Family Therapy: This therapy method addresses the inner relationships, boundaries and hierarchies within the family structure. It focuses on improving direct relationships between family members.
Strategic Family Therapy: This short-term approach focuses on implementing positive structural and behavioral changes within a family. It is also beneficial for families with children displaying behavioral issues.
Systemic Family Therapy: Systemic therapy evaluates family members’ issues within the context of different relationships. For example, it might consider how a family member functions as both a spouse and a parent. It also considers cultural, religious, political and socio-economic contexts.
Narrative Family Therapy: This technique invites family members to write their “story” and then rewrite it to teach them to view alternative stories and externalize rather than internalize their issues.

Topics Addressed in Family Therapy:

Some of the topics covered in family therapy are:

Life stage transitions (birth, adolescence, marriage, divorce, aging, death)
Gender, sexuality and relationships
Navigating relationships with challenging family members
Facing difficult life situations (illness, death, occupational shifts, financial strain, substance abuse, mental illness)

Elizabeth invites families to address a number of sensitive topics during family therapy sessions. Family therapy can focus on topics such as communication breakdowns, conflict resolution, parenting challenges, grief and loss, stress and anger, strained relationships, chronic illness, financial concerns, divorce, and dealing with sudden changes. Elizabeth helps guide families through these challenging conversations within a safe, non-judgmental environment.

Take the Next Step:

Family therapy plays an instrumental role in restoring positive family dynamics and creating more harmony within the home. If you have a challenge within your family that you would like to address, contact Elizabeth to schedule a consultation and learn more about the family therapy services she offers.