For Parents, Families and Blended Families
Are You:
- Arguing with your spouse about how to raise the kids?
- Having a tough time communicating with your kids?
- Worrying about your how your kids are adjusting to a divorce?
- Having problems understanding, communicating or bonding with step-kids?
- Engaging in power struggles with your kids?
- Beginning to doubt that you are a successful parent?
Family Counseling Can Help
We offer family counseling and parent counseling which is designed to help you solve these problems. We can help you deal with an angry teenager, with inconsistent discipline, with blended family issues and other problems which families and parents encounter.
Family therapy is for families who are experiencing ongoing problems in their relationships. These problems can occur between parents and children or between siblings. Often siblings can also experience problems after a divorce. The basic idea about family therapy is that the family is a system. This means that what is happening to one person in the family system will have an effect on others in the family system.
Family counseling provides an opportunity and a place for family members to come together and work through issues that might be affecting the entire family. Initial meetings will focus on figuring out what is not working and why. Often families need some help with conflict mediation, learning how to communicate more clearly, and developing more effective ways of coping with stress.
Family Counseling for Blended Families
Blended Families have a particularly difficult time. Typically the new couples have different parenting styles and expectations. This is true of newlyweds, as well. However, newlyweds have a period of years to work out a joint and consistent parenting style. Parents of blended families must deal with this same issue quickly. They don’t have the 
luxury of time. In addition, they must deal with children who are accustomed to different parenting styles and who may balk at the new one. Another layer of difficulty lies in the fact that everyone must now incorporate new people in their lives. And some of these children may have resentments stemming from the divorce. No wonder blended families take so much time and energy.
Family counseling can prove to be very helpful to all members of the families, original, blended, or step. Parents can be seen individually, and together, with their new partners, and also with their children in order to define new family rules and roles. Child and adolescent therapy sessions can help to identify any areas of potential difficulty and aid the children in making sense of and adjusting to the dramatic changes that have taken place in their lives as a result of their parent’s divorce. It really depends on the situation and what would best address the problems.
Parent Counseling & Parent Coaching
We also offer Parent Counseling or Parent Coaching. Parenting is tough and sometimes stressful. We can help your child by helping you. You can focus on a number of goals, depending on your needs. If you and your mate are not in agreement about how to raise your children, discipline becomes much more difficult to achieve. We can help you create that agreement.
Sometimes parents are not sure how to react to a child or how to deal with a problem. Our counselors are trained to help you respond in a positive and helpful way. The goal is to make you an effective and competent parent.
Each our children is different and we react differently to them. Sometimes a parent will take a negative attitude toward their child. One might be more irritable and impatient with a child. This only causes more problems, because the child will then react unhelpfully. We can help you to reduce your stress and help you respond effectively to your child or teen. We help make you a better parent.
We first have a meeting with you and your child. We do this to get to know your child and to gather information about the problems. Then teens and children may be seen separately, with their parents, or with the entire family, as necessary. In cases where the teenager or child is seen separately, periodic updates are given to the parents. Your child will have a non-judgmental adult to talk about any problems. They will be treated with respect. They will be asked to be honest with themselves and with the therapist. We never work to drive a wedge between you and your child.
Our staff is licensed in the State of Michigan and have training in this area. Unlike some counselors, we do not tell you what is wrong with you or tell you what to think. We are interested in you and want to know what you have to say. We will tell you what we believe is important and of value in any relationship. The responses you receive will actually explain things and helps resolves problems conclusively. Nor do we make you feel guilty. Life is not easy. People make mistakes. Our job is help you become a more effective parent.
If you are having problems with your children, don’t wait. Call now and take the first step to achieving the relationship and happiness you want and need.
