One of the ways the pandemic has transformed the way we do things at Family Strategies Counseling and Mediation is Online Family Counseling. Online counseling is a great option for those who need the flexibility to make therapy work with their busy school and work schedules.
What Can You Expect from Family Counseling?
Online family counseling can help you develop and maintain healthy and functional family relationships from the convenience of your home. The idea is to strategically identify and create systems to solve familial issues. These issues can be emotional, psychological, or behavioral. Families work as a unit, rather than a group of people functioning independently from one another. That said, changes in one family member will influence changes in other parts of the family.
During an online family therapy session, therapists may address the family as a group, or individually. The typical session is 50 minutes, once a week. The number of sessions will depend on various factors, such as why the family is seeking therapy, to begin with. A lot of the time, the negative behavior that brings a family to therapy is a symptom of a greater problem that must be uncovered.
Is Online Family Therapy Effective?
Online family therapy is effective, under the right circumstances. For one, everyone within the family unit must be willing to participate in therapy. Therapy can not force anyone who does not think they need to change to do so. In our experience, online therapy is particularly effective for families struggling with:
- Child in need of therapy after parent divorce or separation
- Learning new and effective parenting methods
- Recovery from child abuse or neglect
- Behavior challenges in children
Things to be Aware Of
Online therapy can be an attractive option, but it is not a solution to every mental health concern. We do not recommend online therapy in situations where the home is unsafe or anyone in danger of hurting themselves or others. Other cases in which online therapy is not ideal include:
- There is no safe environment at home to attend therapy.
- Children may not be in a position to open up while they are at home if they want to talk about their other family members, who might be listening in.
- Not all conditions can be treated online, such as suicidal ideation.
Conclusion
Does online family counseling work? Online counseling can help your family develop and maintain healthy and functional relationships from the convenience of your home. Often the reason a family comes to therapy is due to some negative behavior, which is a symptom of a bigger problem. During these sessions, some members of the family might be asked to leave the room so that the therapist may address each person individually. The therapist will work to uncover the root of the problem. While online therapy is a great option for some, we do not recommend it to everyone, such as those with unsafe homes or specific mental health concerns.
Family Strategies Counseling & Mediation is a family-focused therapy office located in Homewood, IL. We specialize in a holistic method of family support. Our services include child-focused play therapy, couples and marital counseling, and divorce support therapy. Take a look at our staff page, and contact us at (708) 798-5433 or info@Family-Strategy for information to book online or in person.