Seeing Family Challenges
as Opportunities

Family relationships are not immune to every day conflicts. They arise when there are disparate values, goals and needs in the family. These differences can add color and spice to relationships, just as they can put a wedge in the family interactions and relationships.

Though conflicts can’t be always be avoided, there are ways to transform them into opportunities. They can be resolved, so they can become catalysts for healthy changes. The challenge lies in how this can be done, particularly when the conflicts have already bred deep pain and animosity among family members.

Family therapy can help. With an impartial counselor and a neutral venue, communication lines can be reopened for a healthy revisiting of the issues surrounding the conflicts.

The Love-Hate Relationship Among Families

There is no question that love binds families. This is why they are the ones whom you rally for support and from whom you draw strength in the face of adversity. This is why you feel that they are the most special people to whom you can entrust your secrets, thoughts and fears. Despite the love and the best effort to stay supportive of one another, challenges may come, which can test your resilience and love for each other. It is sad, but often times love may not be enough.

The bigger a family is and the closer you are, the more potential you have for conflicts. A close-knit family may have the tendency to interfere and get involved in a lot of matters affecting the family. With so many views, coming up with a decision that can be acceptable to everyone is tough. When certain members feel that it runs counter to their own interest, it can be perceived as biased.

These issues can challenge, even break a family apart. These can trigger “partisan politics” inside your home, as those with similar opinions or interests rally on one side while the others take another side of the issue. The misunderstanding can grow into a huge chasm with poor communication or with the lack of a neutral personality to facilitate conflict resolution.

Family Therapy: Bridging the Gap

 “Family therapy is a type of counseling that helps family members improve communication and resolve conflicts.” It is designed to assist families in facing and addressing their concerns, such as major life changes and/or an emotional condition affecting a member and impacting the whole family. It can be used as a complementary approach to help a family. It can also be used to directly help a struggling member as the primary mode of treatment.

Family therapy can assist your family in transforming your challenges as it promotes understanding between and among you to foster collaboration and support. With family counseling, you can journey together as one, discovering the roots of your issues, exploring the options, deciding and making your decisions/options work for the greater good of the majority.

Because the process is facilitated by a neutral personality and the process is done in a venue away from the source of conflicts, a positive ambiance is created to encourage collaboration and communication.

Signs Your Family Needs Counseling

Conflicts in a family do not just happen because of a single cause or trigger. It takes many minor misunderstandings for loved ones to finally break their silence and let the steam off. Proactive families do not let this happen. Proactive families who deeply care for each other would do something to preserve their harmony long before the minor differences become major issues, resulting in a cataclysmic impact on the family.

Families who want to stay intact and live in harmony must be able to recognize the signs that they may need outside help to transform challenges into opportunities. What are these signs? These could come in the forms of:

  • Uncomfortable silence, which may indicate the deteriorating quality of interactions because members have stopped talking.
  • Constant disagreements and having factions in the family, which may happen as you lose sight of your common goals and values.
  • Frequent clashes because boundaries between and among your family are unclear and often crossed.
  • Poor decision–making process because of “leadership” issues or because these are often perceived as biased.
  • A member who needs to be supported because of an emotional condition, substance abuse, etc.
  • Family trauma, which could be caused by the death of a relative, the parents getting divorced, etc.

Welcoming Challenges and Opportunities

Unpleasant things or events can happen to all people and to their families at any time, which even unconditional love can’t prevent. These can potentially tear your family apart, if you do not proactively act on these issues. In the middle of a family crises, it is so easy to get lost in all the pain and turmoil. Don’t let this happen to your family. Family therapy can help.

With the guidance of a caring counselor independently contracted with Carolina – Counseling Services, Pinehurst, NC, you and your loved ones can work on resolving your issues and transforming them into opportunities. By talking about what is going on in the home, you can clarify your common goals and values and resolve your conflicts. By reestablishing respect, you can also restore “leadership,” stability and balance. By acting together, you can support one another. These can result in a stronger, healthier, unsplintered family.

Family therapy can assist families in so many constructive ways. Think of it as a “safe haven” that you can return to whenever needed, to transform a divisive challenge into an opportunity to help your family grow.  Let an expert counselor/therapist independently contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – Pinehurst, NC help your family do this. Call today to schedule an appointment!

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