Leffingwell Counseling

Research shows that family therapy can be very effective in improving overall individual mental health, which makes sense, given that most people are highly affected by the people they are closest to.  Unfortunately, conflicting needs among family members is sometimes very difficult to resolve, and patterns of destructive interactions can go on for years, or even generations, as we repeat behaviors passed on from parents or grandparents that are not very helpful.  Each family has its own “culture” with spoken and unspoken expectations that don’t necessarily work for all individual family members equally. It can be especially hard when trying to blend families. When I work with families, my goal is to bring unconscious family patterns into conscious awareness so that they can be better understood and evaluated.  I also strive to bring awareness to each person’s role in the family, and how that role maintains current family functioning, for better or worse.  I honor and respect everyone’s perspective and maintain a safe environment that allows all points of view to be heard.  If you think that family therapy might be right for your family, I would be happy to talk to you more about using this approach.