When a child or individual is working through a mental health challenge, family members can often help that individual better understand the problem and greatly support new ways of coping. Sometimes it may also help for family members to learn how they may be inadvertently reinforcing a loved one’s unhelpful behavior - frequently as a way of coping with their own fears and anxiety about their loved one’s needs, as a way of managing overwhelming stress, or as a reaction to the impact their loved one’s behavior has on the family system.
The family unit is one of the strongest relationships you’ll find. However, even the most tight-knit family can experience problems in communication. Stoneybrook Behavior Health clinicians understand that behaviors and emotions are contagious. How family members interact with one another can greatly impact a client and the family’s collective mental health. The skills we work on in session also require practice, with the family unit being the most logical place for that practice to occur. For these reasons, if you are seeking treatment for your minor child, parental involvement in sessions is a key part of how we structure sessions for the greatest benefit to your child.
Family involvement is especially important if….
your family member is having a problem with school, substance abuse or an eating disorder.
major change has impacted the entire family, such as moving, a natural disaster, or disability of a sibling or parent.
you’ve experienced an unexpected or traumatic loss of a family member.
you’re adjusting to a new family member in the home, such as the birth of a sibling or grandparent moving into the home
your family is coping with separation or divorce
Your family has a history of substance abuse, parental mental health struggles or family conflict
Family sessions can be helpful to the primary client and also all family members on many different levels as everyone practices:
Developing and maintaining healthy boundaries
Facilitating cohesion and communication
Promoting problem-solving by a better understanding of emotion and behavior science and family dynamics
Building empathy and understanding
Reducing conflict within the family