Families matter. Whether an individual, couple, part or an entire family walk into therapy, their family is present. Intergenerational patterns illuminate current problems, communication styles, expectations, styles of resolving (or not) conflict, mental health, physical health…the list is long!
Families must also be understood in the context of their environments. Today, more families are multicultural, multi-religious and multiracial. The influence of our ethnic backgrounds and our own identification with them are important aspects of understanding and appreciating our families and their relationship to their communities and society.
Being aware of our families’ and past generations influence, often subtle and sometimes obvious, can provide valuable insight in understanding our own emotions and behaviors, and how we interact with those we love.
My perspective of families is systemic and intergenerational. Most often I work with “subsets’ of a family, such as parent-child (adolescent and adult) or siblings. Sometimes people who play a significant role in a family system may also be included in therapy.
Families matter. We are all interconnected and interdependent.