Family support with us looks different to traditional counselling, because it is. With traditional counselling and talking therapy models, you are there to be listened to and provided with a space to make decisions and action plans yourself or to get things off of your chest allowing you to process them in between your sessions. This is fantastic for some individuals, couples and families.

 

The individuals, couples and families who we journey with come to us because they have not been able to make action plans themselves and there is a high level of interweaving issues, trauma or such a high level of conflict that they need somebody to guide them and to support plans being implemented. We are here to ensure that observable change happens in each family member’s life and the family as a whole. 

 

Some of the families we work with have experienced such a high level of conflict over so many years that they simply cannot navigate a way forwards on their own. Either one or all of the family members are at utter breaking point. 

 

We don’t see you for one hour a week over six weeks, because for your family that likely won’t cut it. It might be that we begin by working with one of your children who is struggling the most. He or she may already be receiving support for us for communication skills, social skills, education or all of the above! This programme would run side by side with family support. The parents of the family will likely have sessions individually with the Consultant in our team who they have the strongest rapport with. Rapport is absolutely crucial on your journey. You need to be completely confident in your team and you need to be able to feel at ease. After all, we will be in your home. We will probably sit in your garden with you and go for a walk with your family. It may be that Lu has waterfights with the children and that we all play games together as a family. There will be tough conversations and accountability check ins, but there will be fun too. Together you will learn how to break cycles and form new, healthy patterns of interacting. It may be that you are a family of adults now, with the children going off to or coming back from University. It isn’t too late to address the past and carve out a new future.. You may feel as though you absolutely do not want to be in your family unit. That is okay too. We will help you to address what is going on for you and to make healthy decisions. It is very likely that the process will be a long one, because these behaviour cycles have built up over so many years. You may feel as though you absolutely abhor the parent of your children. You may not like your child any more. You may be crippled with guilt or you may be beginning a new journey as a separated or as a blended family. There may be another significant life change coming up. We are here to help.