Family Counselling
The family dynamic
Our family units generate many dynamics: the parent dynamic; each parent with each child’s dynamic; the siblings dynamic, etc. And in blended families there are additional dynamics of stepparents, stepchildren, half-brothers, half-sisters etc.
Each family will have its own systems to facilitate communication and growth that work sufficiently well – that is, until a blockage occurs and everything feels like it is falling apart. This blockage is likely to be linked to some aspect of change, whether caused by factors internal to the family itself or from the outside world.
A new perspective in difficult times
When families go through change, it can be difficult to learn how to adapt. Counselling can help family members to support each other through these difficult times, to reduce conflict and arguments and grow stronger as a result.
Just some of the issues that family therapy can help with are examining your family’s ability to solve problems and express thoughts and emotions in a productive manner; exploring family roles, rules and behaviour patterns to identify issues that contribute to conflict — and discovering ways to work through these issues.
If the family dynamic has been thrown off course, family counselling can help the whole family communicate better and understand how to resolve differences.
The counselling process
Family counselling starts with a one-hour assessment session with two therapists focussing with the parents on establishing a clear understanding of the counselling process, understanding your background and discussing the particular concerns and immediate challenges that you want to explore.
Following this assessment, we will be able to ascertain if we are the best placed organisation to help you and, if not, recommend who you should contact.
Hopefully we will be able to help and, if so, we’ll look to match you with the Counsellor best suited to your particular circumstances. This will include, if relevant, excluding any of our Counsellors whom you know or who you feel are too close to your particular community/circle of friends.
Investing in the process
Although we would never turn away anyone needing our help because they could not afford to pay for sessions, we do know that a client is more invested in their therapy if they contribute to it financially.
Also, as a charity, we do need to ask for a contribution to help cover our running costs.
To this end we charge £80 for the initial assessment with two Counsellors and then, for each subsequent counselling session £80 for a two Counsellor session or £60 for a one Counsellor session. If you are unable to pay this, please do contact us in confidence to discuss.
In order to be able to offer counselling to all those on our waiting list as soon as possible, we limit the number of family counselling sessions conducted under our auspices to 6 – 12 sessions, after which we review the situation.