Couple and Family Therapy addresses the behaviors of partners or all family members and the way these behaviors affect not only individual members of the family or union, but also relationships and the family unit as a whole. As such, treatment is usually divided between time spent on individual therapy and time spent on couple therapy, family therapy, or both, if necessary. Couple and family therapy may also be referred to as marriage and family therapy, couple counseling, marriage counseling, or family counseling.
​
Couples and Family Therapy can be short-term consisting of solution-focused sessions. More sessions may be required, however, depending on the nature and depth of the treatment goals. In couple or marriage counseling, the therapist will begin by meeting with both partners and then spend some time with each individual. In family therapy, the therapist will also begin by meeting with the entire family and then, if appropriate, meet separately with individual family members.
​
While traditional therapy focuses more on the individual, Couple and Family Therapy examines how an individual’s behavior affects both the individual and their relationship as part of a couple or family. The approach to healing is that regardless of whether the behavior or circumstance appears to be within an individual or within a family, getting other loved ones and family involved in the therapeutic process will result in more effective solutions. This treatment modality is goal-oriented and works toward established outcomes. The population we currently serve at One Life Healing and their presenting areas of focus are summarized below:
Couples Therapy: Pre/Post-Marital, Bi/Multicultural Union, Career Exploration, Marital and Couple Conflict, Alcohol and Substance Use, Sexuality and Exploration, Pornography, Pre/Post-Natal, Financial Therapy, Spirituality, Work-Induced Stress, Stress Management
​
Family Therapy: Adoption, Alcohol and Substance Use, Anxiety, Bi/Multicultural Family, Blended Family System, Children's Behavior, Communication Skills, Depression, Family Conflict, Financial Therapy, Independence & Autonomy, Infertility, Grief & Loss, Parenting, Parent and Child Conflict, Personality Style Differences, Relationship Issues, Stress Management
​
How to get started? What to expect?
Call 312-586-8721 to schedule your initial appointment and get started. The first session is generally for information gathering, so the therapist can learn about the factors that brought you to therapy, get the thoughts of everyone involved, and observe couple/family dynamics. At the same time, you should be able to get a clear sense of the therapist’s role and competency, the goals of treatment, and any “rules” to be observed in and out of sessions, such as who should attend which sessions and confidentiality of any information shared between and among partners or family members and the therapist. Over time, you will identify individual family roles and behaviors that contribute to conflicts, identify specific challenges and strengths, and explore ways to actively resolve issues.
​