Family Counseling

Taking care of a family is both a blessing and a challenge. Throw in the individual emotional reactions or a change in family dynamics, which can spell trouble with a capital T. But God created the institution of the family. The humans He created gave birth to sons and daughters. God blessed the family unit, even telling Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. God would never give us such a great responsibility unless He planned to empower us.

But families are complex, and they do not always get along or know how to communicate well. When faced with changes or challenges, family counseling can help get your family back on track and bring you closer to Jesus Christ. A family-centered on God and His Son, Jesus Christ, can bear the weight of society’s expectations and weather the storms that will inevitably hit your home.

As a parent, you would do anything to protect your family. Sometimes the threat is not an outside party. Sometimes the danger is within. This includes arguing, disrespectfulness, trauma, addictions, or changes in the family’s day-to-day life. Whatever is causing turmoil in your family, you are not alone.

Family counseling allows each family member the opportunity to speak and make their needs known. Although they are family, we cannot read each other’s minds, and it is impossible to assume we know what is best all the time based on our own experiences. A therapist is trained to identify what is holding a family back from making progress or healing.

Family counseling looks different for every family as each one faces unique challenges. The following is only a brief list of the topics we discuss with our client families:

Life events – A new marriage, the birth of a baby, the loss of a family member, career changes, unemployment, or a move can trigger anxiety in family members. Unfortunately, not everyone reacts the same way. Family members can feel anxious, depressed, unsettled, and angry. Counseling sessions give a place to vent and learn new ways to adapt to life-changing events.

Parenting – Parenting styles differ between families and are often based on how the adults were raised. Sometimes a couple will disagree about the best ways to discipline and raise a child, and raising a toddler and a teenager requires two different approaches. A counselor can offer a listening ear and suggest parenting styles that you both can agree on.

Communication – Many disagreements stem from a lack of communication between family members. Children may not know how to verbalize their feelings, and older teens want to be seen as young adults. If adults lack communication skills, this will only compound the problem as they cannot teach their children what they do not know. Therapists are educated in problem-solving and communication skills and pass those methods to your family.

Grief – Whether the grief is from the loss of a member within the immediate family or an extended family member or close friend, this emotion can change the family. The stages of grief include shock, denial, guilt, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Sometimes every member of the family grieves in their own way. Some will heal quicker than others. A counselor will identify where each member is in the cycle and determine the best methods to move past grief and get back to living.

Trauma – A house fire, assault, natural disaster, or accident can trigger a flood of thoughts, emotions, and reactions. Even if one family member experienced the trauma, the rest might feel its effects. Trauma can also lead to mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Our trained therapists have worked with clients and their families in managing trauma and mental health disorders.

Mental disorders – Living with family members with various mental health disorders can be difficult, especially if you are unaware of how to help them. The good news is that most conditions are manageable with professional help.

Addictions – An addiction can close in on any member of the family. Addiction is a compulsive behavior, whether substance abuse, pornography, sex, gambling, or overspending. Family counseling can help the member suffering overcome the addiction while working with the family to establish boundaries and assistance.

Divorce or remarriage – The relationship between the parents affects the children. The arguments leading up to divorce, custody battles, splitting time between two homes, or moving permanently away from another parent can cause trauma in a child’s life. The upheaval sometimes continues when another person is added to the family through remarriage, especially if they bring more children into the home. Counseling can work to make this a smoother transition.

Changes in family dynamics – Going from a two-parent family to a single-parent or blended family can cause stress, depression, arguments, anger, and resentment from the children. This change in family dynamics can lead to children lashing out or parents being unable to cope with their children’s behavior. Family counseling is a safe place for every member to communicate how they feel without anger.

Caring for aging parents – In many households, the parents raise their children while caring for aging parents, either in their own home or splitting time between two households. The stress that caregivers feel is enormous, and it is more challenging if the responsibility is on one person’s shoulders. A counselor specializing in care giving and eldercare can help the family adjust to this new norm.

Raising children through their teenage years – Teens are only a few steps away from young adulthood, yet they still cannot support themselves. Their emotions run higher as the prefrontal cortex finishes developing, the region of the brain in charge of our long-term consequences and good judgment. The brain’s amygdala region that controls emotions is what teens and young adults draw from when making decisions. A therapist can work with teens to control their emotions and pause long enough to think through the resulting consequences.

Spiritual development – Crises in faith come along at different times in our lives, sometimes in response to a change, trauma, or loss. Not only can parents feel distant from God, but their older children may begin to question if God exists, and if He does, does He care. A Christian family counselor can show God’s love for humankind with scripture-based methods and work with your family to grow your faith and trust in Jesus.

The likelihood of family counseling working for you is higher if you and your family commit to the process.

A faith-based counselor brings professional training and education to each session to introduce your family to scientific breakthroughs and scripture-based methods to uphold and nurture the family dynamic. At Plano Christian Counseling, we base our strategies on God’s grace and love and not only work with the families in our care but pray for each member.

When you take a step of faith toward family counseling in Plano, Texas, you allow hope to be born within the family unit. Just like when the disciples rowed out onto the water, and a severe storm blew through, Jesus slept calmly in the boat. As the storms pass over your family, you will realize that God is in control.

Next Steps in Family Counseling

Taking the initiative to protect your family can save you heartache in the future. Whether that is problems with changes in the family dynamics, a life event, or trauma, we can help you. The professional mental health specialists at Plano Christian Counseling have worked with families to overcome these issues and more while strengthening the family’s relationship with Jesus.

Jesus is the stronghold your family needs to cling to during the storms. He is not surprised or threatened by your family’s dilemma. Contact our reception team today for a Christian family counseling session at Plano Christian Counseling.