Couples & Family Therapy
If you and your loved ones are having difficulty communicating or functioning as a family unit, couples and family therapy may be right for you. At Arkansas Counseling & Wellness, we are happy to offer therapy services for couples and families to help them communicate more clearly, address conflict, and develop skills to work together to address family problems. If you’re interested in learning more about couples and family therapy, read this page and call to find out more or schedule an appointment with the Arkansas Counseling & Wellness Services team.
What is Couples & Family Therapy?
Family therapy is a process between families and/or couples and a therapist who work together to reduce distress and conflict by improving the systems of interaction between family members. This can include a number of therapeutic techniques to help families communicate clearly, address conflict, and create a happier home environment.
Who Should Consider Couples & Family Therapy?
Many families benefit from working with our team for couples or family therapy sessions to help improve the way your family unit functions. Some of those situations where family counseling can be most beneficial include:
- One or more family members feel unable to or stop completely performing what used to be “routine” functions.
- One or more family members have extreme emotional responses that adversely impact the lines of communication and the family’s ability to function as a unit.
- One or more family members are unable to express themselves, use silence as a punishment, or withdraw from the rest of the family.
- One or more family members show signs of violent or harmful behavior towards other family members or themselves.
- One or more family members express feelings of hopelessness, difficulty performing necessary functions, and struggle when coping with the day to day stresses of life.
- One or more family members show significant changes in behavior at home, at work, at school, or in personal relationships.
- One or more family members have experienced trauma and are struggling to cope. This may include death in the family, divorce, or discovery of betrayal like an affair.
- One or more family members have experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse from parties in or outside of the family unit.
- One or more family members are struggling with substance abuse.
What are the Benefits of Couples & Family Therapy?
If you decide to move forward with couples and family therapy, you can expect to experience a number of benefits, including:
- Understanding and respecting your loved ones’ boundaries.
- Learning more about family patterns and dynamics and how every family member fits into the unit as a whole.
- Enhancing communication skills.
- Improving problem solving skills.
- Developing empathy for and understanding of your family members.
- Learning how to handle conflict resolution.
- Developing healthy anger management skills.
- Reuniting a family after trauma or crisis and helping family members forgive each other.
- Building honesty and instilling greater trust between family members.
- Creating an environment where each member of the family feels supported.
- Reducing stress and tension between family members.
- Bringing isolated family members back into the family.
What Happens During Couples & Family Therapy?
It is not always possible or necessary to have all family members present in the room. What distinguishes family therapy from individual therapy is the treatment perspective, not how many people are present during the session. This type of therapy views problems as patterns or systems that need adjusting. During your therapy session, those members of family who are present will discuss current concerns and difficulties. The counselor will work with those present to develop strategies to work through conflict, address communication lapses, and create better systems to handle every challenge a new day may bring to your family.
How Much Does Couples & Family Therapy Cost?
Couples counseling is never paid by insurance and family therapy is not always a covered benefit. It’s always a good idea to verify coverage with your insurance company. We are happy to process insurance claims to minimize out-of-pocket costs. If you have questions about pricing, insurance, or payment options, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our business team to learn more.