Families can be a source of support, encouragement and love but sometimes relationships within families are put under strain and people can feel isolated or overlooked.
Family counselling can help when siblings aren’t getting on, or when parents and children are going through a divorce or separation. Forming a new family is a challenge and it is at this point that many parents contact us for some support to help everyone settle. Or maybe your found family is looking to implement some new rituals and wants a bit of guidance.
Whatever difficulties you're having as a family, we can help.
What to expect in family counselling
Before any counselling begins, you'll be asked to complete an initial assessment to make sure Relate is the right fit for your family. You will meet with a counsellor, who will provide confidential and non-judgemental support, and who will encourage everyone who comes to have their say and to share their feelings, if they wish.
At the first appointment, the counsellor will ask you to talk through what’s happening, and what you’d like to change. You will then work with the counsellor to decide what happens next.
Counselling is a different experience for everyone, and what happens in your sessions will depend very much on what you hope to get out of it, and on the unique needs of your family.
You can expect Family Counselling to help you to build stronger relationships between every member of the family and help you to work together as a team.
How family counselling helps
If you’re having problems as a family, whatever’s causing them, family counselling can help the whole family to communicate better, and to understand and resolve differences.
When families go through change, it can be difficult to learn to adapt. Counselling can help family members to support one another through these difficult times, to reduce conflict and arguments and grow stronger as a result.
It's amazing how many parents realise the extent to which their child has bottled up their feelings – once the child feels safe, they can speak openly for the first time”. Children really appreciate being listened to. They pick up on conflict and if they don’t have another outlet it can badly affect them.
We have Local Centres across England and Wales offering family counselling.
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