counselling | family therapy
our family therapists help families better understand each other, improve communication and support one another
Relationships with family members can be incredibly complex and play a big part in our personal well being. When things go awry or become dysfunctional within a family unit, it can take a great toll on one’s wellness and affect one’s sense of comfort and stability.
Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps family members—whether blood relatives or individuals who play long-term supportive roles in each others’ lives—better understand each other, improve communication with each other, support one another and work through the difficult situations life can throw at them. It can also help improve relationships between a parent and a child, sibling interactions and dynamics, and assist with processing changes and losses within a family, such as separation and divorce, grief and bereavement, trauma, medical or mental health diagnoses, attachment issues or parenting struggles.
Our therapists can help you and your family learn new ways of listening and responding openly and gain an increased sense of the dynamics between each of you in order to understand how each person impacts the other. They can also help you identify family roles and areas for change, and provide relief from tension or disconnection, while providing a sense of validation for each family member.
It should be noted that in family therapy or counselling, the term “family” extends beyond blood relatives. Family is anyone who plays a long term supportive role in one’s life, which may not include blood relations or family members living in the same household.
be you. be well.
at wellbe, our therapists help families better resolve conflict by improving communication among family members
your wellbe therapists
Meghan Menkes
leslieville
FAQ
If you have any questions about family therapy, please use our chat box, or contact us.
Booking a consultation call with a therapist is a great way to answer this. During these 15 minutes, you’ll have the opportunity to share some of your challenges, and hear from a therapist around what might be helpful moving forward to work through these experiences. For more information, check out this link here.
Length of time in therapy is unique for each individual. There are many options including: short-term structured psychotherapy to address and work through specific challenges (6-8 sessions), or longer term psychotherapy to understand and heal symptoms and experiences that have had a significant impact on wellbeing. Additionally, using counselling and psychotherapy as a tool for ongoing self care and mental health can be a lifelong tool for wellness.
Your therapist will likely support and encourage you to notice how you’re feeling both during and in-between sessions. Beginning to notice and tune into how we feel can begin to answer this. Your therapist is always holding a “big picture” perspective of your health and wellness and may offer recommendation or adjunct treatments to support your psychotherapy process, for example using mindfulness and yoga to support progress in psychotherapy.
Counselling and psychotherapy can be helpful at any age. For parents with infants and young children, being apart of the therapy process can be supportive and help to identify areas of growth for each individual and within the relationship. Children between the ages of 4- 5 may be ready to engage in individual psychotherapy with a therapist who specializes in working with children.
At this time, OHIP does not cover this type of therapy and counselling. If you have extended health care insurance, Social Work and/or Psychotherapy may be covered under your benefit plan (please consult your benefit plan package for more information). For a referral to OHIP covered counselling or other community based resources, feel free to connect with one of our Social Workers.
CBT (Cognitive behaviour Therapy) is one treatment approach and method that has been proven to improve symptoms of anxiety and depression amongst other symptoms. Our therapists are trained and informed on a range of interventions including CBT, DBT, EFT, EMDR, SMT, and Narrative therapy. Each therapist will engage in a comprehensive assessment to support and determine the best approach moving forward. Often times, pulling strategies from a range of treatments can be impactful.
Our therapists are trained and informed on a wide range of interventions and will engage in a comprehensive assessment to support and determine with you the best approach moving forward. Often, pulling strategies from a variety of modalities is impactful. Equally important to the approach used, is what we call the ‘goodness of fit’, or the relationship you experience with your therapist. It is important for you to feel comfortable. Therapy may not always feel easy, but you should expect it to feel safe.
The first session of couples therapy involves both partners. Following the initial couple session, the therapist may have an individual session with each partner to gain an increased understanding of the perspective and challenges each partner holds.