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Family Counseling

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Some reasons why families seek counseling:
Families are going through a time of transition or change
Divorce, Remarriage or Death has affected your family system
The family is not functioning and feels constantly drained of energy
Presence of continual and disruptive communication breakdowns
Exhibition of extreme emotions from one or many family members
Distancing, cutting off or isolation of one or more family members
Sudden changes in child/children’s behavior at home or at school
A traumatic experience within or affecting the family
One or more family members is struggling with mental illness
One or more family members is struggling with substance abuse

Even healthy families experience situations where they can benefit from guidance to regain positive connection. If this is happening to your family, we can help.

Experienced therapists at Fox Valley Institute can help you see how your family system works, how the individual family members within the system are interconnected and how each person’s patterns of relating affect the whole.

Families are like a mobile. Each member, like the pieces hanging from the mobile, is interconnected. When one piece moves, the whole mobile moves. If one piece is disconnected or trying to sustain too much of the load, the mobile is out of balance and ineffective.

To understand the individual is to know his or her place in the system. People simply cannot be understood in isolation from one another. Thus, one family member cannot be a problem in isolation. They simply are part of a struggling system.

Here are some examples of ways family therapy can help you to understand and change your family patterns:

Understand how the specific ways your family relates define the personality and functionality of your system
Clearly see how each part of the system affects the others, whether positive or negative
Identify the family rules and roles created to protect your family system, whether in times of health or dysfunction
Assess how boundaries ñ whether they exist in extremes or not at all — are affecting the functionality and quality of your family relationships
Recognize how your particular family system adapts to change in response to its members and the environment
Distinguish dysfunctional patterns within family systems
Differentiate normal changes in the family system (predictable life cycle changes) from crisis

Family systems are self-reflective. We have the capacity to examine our own behavior and use our knowledge to set goals and affect change. We do not have to accept things as they are, we can always strive for better connection and effectiveness.

At Fox Valley Institute, we offer a confidential, safe and comfortable space for our clients. From evening and weekend appointment times to our warm and soothing waiting room, your well-being is a priority.