Center for Growth

Marriage & Family Counseling

THERE IS A TIME AND A PLACE FOR MARRIAGE & FAMILY COUNSELING

Marriages and families function more as a “system” or an “institution”.  They are so interconnected and interdependent that the two, or three or four, etc. people are one whole.  So, in therapy, we treat marriages and family differently than individual therapy.

Marriage & family counseling is designed to address when your marriage or family has unresolvable conflict, unable to make important decisions, difficulty setting agreeable rules and boundaries, had a major crisis, death, betrayal or significant life event, and/or has difficulty functioning day to day.  Some examples of situations where it was helpful for us to provide marriage and family therapy are: 1) After the death of a close family member, 2) during a marital crisis: a serious medical condition in the family, 3) loss of job or unemployment, 4) an affair, 5) a significant mental health condition, 6) misuse of alcohol or drugs (or any significant addition), 7) caring for aging parents, and/or 8) unmanageable parenting situations.

HOW IS MARRIAGE & FAMILY COUNSELING DIFFERENT THAN INDIVIDUAL THERAPY?

During individual counseling, the therapist has the individual’s mental health as the primary goal, while in contrast during marriage & family counseling, the therapist has the primary goal is the mental health of the marriage “system” or the family “system”.  The difference lies more in the implementation of therapy, but the outcome feels much different for the clients.  Instead of working towards the individual goals, the therapist’s role is to advocate for the marriage or the family.  So for example, if an individual’s behaviors or mental health is blocking the success of the marriage or family’s goals, then the individual would be asked to address those issues separately with another therapist to become stronger and more productive for the marriage and family.

 

IF YOU SEE YOUR SITUATION DESCRIBED ABOVE, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS PRACTICAL HELP FOR YOU.

“According to research done by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, families and couples who have attended family or couples therapy sessions indicate high levels of patient satisfaction. Over 98 percent of those surveyed reported that they received good or excellent couples therapy, and over 97 percent of those surveyed said they got the help they needed. After working with a marriage or family therapist, 93 percent of patients said they had more effective tools for dealing with their problems.”1

When seeking therapy it is helpful to keep in mind that Research in Family Therapy Posted on April 16, 2011 by Richard Niolon Ph.D. cited a study:

“Pinsoff and Wynne (2000) answer that family and/or couples therapy is better than individual therapy for:

  • schizophrenia
  • depression in women in distressed marriages
  • marital distress
  • adult substance abuse
  • adolescent conduct disorders and substance abuse
  • anorexia in young females
  • childhood autism
  • aggression and noncompliance in ADHD children
  • dementia
  • and cardiovascular risk factors

and is better than no treatment for all of the above in addition to

  • obesity
  • hypertension
  • child conduct disorder
  • and chronic illness in childhood”2

 

WHAT VICTOR COUNSELING PRACTICES IN VICTOR, NY HAS TO OFFER:

  • We have convenient hours, starting at 7 AM Monday through Thursday for those who need appointments before work or school, and as late as 8 PM on Monday and Wednesdays for those who need appointments after school, work or extra-curricular activities.
  • We accept most insurances. We will work with people who have a financial hardship.
  • We are located in an underserved area in Victor, NY.
  • Jeff is licensed in NYS and has over 20 experience providing therapy for marriage & family.  It should be said that I am not a licensed MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist), however, I am a LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) in the New York State and have graduate training in marriage and family and post-graduate training in marriage and family.

 

NEXT STEPS:

  1. If what you are dealing with is strictly a marriage issue, then you may want to go to the Couples Counseling page to get more information on treatment and options.
  2. Research “marriage and family counseling” in your area.
  3. Call/Text  Victor Counseling Practices in Victor, NY at 585-398-8835 for a consult or an appointment.

REFERENCES:

1 http://guidedoc.com/does-marriage-counseling-work-statistics-facts – Does Marriage Counseling Work? 8 Surprising Statistics & Facts, GuideDoc Health Inc. © 2016, Sited October 5, 2016.

2 http://www.psychpage.com/family/library/family_research.html – Research in Family Therapy, Posted on April 16, 2011 by Richard Niolon Ph.D. on PsychPage. Sited October 6, 2016.