Family Counseling

Counseling is offered to families by trained professionals to provide emotional support, education and guidance for a variety of concerns confronted by today’s families. The process and workings of family counseling are often very challenging for family members as well as for the counselor. Examples of problems encountered by families include:

• family planning

• adoption

• parenting skills

• blended family issues

• step-parenting

• health related problems

• problems of mental health

• problems of mental retardation

Common family goals are:

• to communicate more effectively and meaningfully

• to guide the family through traumatic experiences

• to resolve problems and conflicts

• to create a more positive family environment

Family counseling practitioners often work with the entire nuclear family, viewing the family as a unit or system. Relationships emerge from this system that influence development and behavior of all the family members. An individual member of the family may receive attention during the family session to address problem behavior or provide support for hardships or pathologies that affect them

A combination of goals, ambitions, levels of maturity, expectations and conflicting egos can make this type of counseling seem like a juggling act between participants. It is very important to choose a counselor with the proper training and experience, who is able to sift out all of the significant issues so as to assist a family effectively.

Steven L. Neff has over 30 years' experience providing family counseling. [View qualifications]