The Benefits Of Family Counseling To Resolve Conflict
Charlotte Therapist Utilizes Family Therapy to Reduce Conflict and Strengthen Relationships Among Family Members
Each family is different, and there are often various ways that each member relates to one another. Families sometimes have great difficulty dealing with conflict or life challenges in general. Learning new skills can be very beneficial in resolving conflict more effectively and feeling more connected with other family members.
The benefits of family counseling may vary from family to family because every family may have different goals for family counseling. Each group is unique, like each family culture, so the best support for their challenges can differ.
However, some common benefits of family counseling may include the following:
- Learning to negotiate and normalize requests for healthy boundaries within the family
- Developing a sense of mutual respect for all families
- Practicing positive conflict resolution skills
- Identifying sources of conflict within the family
- Improving communication within the family
Whether you consider your family life to be struggling or not, any family may benefit from practicing communication skills, showing respect for one another, and learning positive conflict-resolution strategies.
Agreeing to negotiate
Usually, our first angry impulse is to push the point that we are right and win the argument at any cost. Finding a peaceful resolution can be difficult, if not impossible when both or multiple people feel that they are in the right. It helps if everyone decides as a family to try listening to each other and negotiating instead.
Suggestions include:
- Work out if the issue is worth fighting over.
- Try to separate the problem from the person.
- Try to cool off first if you feel too angry to talk calmly.
- Remember that the idea is to resolve the conflict, not win the argument.
- Remember that the other party isn’t obliged to always agree with you on everything.
- Define the problem and stick to the topic.
- Respect the other person’s point of view by paying attention and listening.
- Talk clearly and reasonably.
- Try to find points of common ground.
- Agree to disagree.
At Bareiter Counseling Center, I work with individuals ages 12 and older, utilizing individual and family therapy. To learn more about how family therapy can help you and your family, please contact 704-334-0524.
Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor
