Together: Overcoming Life's Challenges with Family Therapy
Learn more about the benefits of family therapy for children at Ethos Wellness.
Ethos Wellness — a Safe Space for Your Family to Heal
At Ethos Wellness, we understand the impact of mental health on the well-being of children and the entire family unit.
As a leading provider of outpatient behavioral health services throughout Texas and Illinois, we aim to foster understanding, communication, and emotional resilience within families facing psychological challenges.
Understanding the Scope of Child Mental Health Challenges and the Need for Support
Recent statistics estimate that 1 in 5 children in the United States struggles with a mental health disorder each year.
From attention deficit disorders to mood disturbances, untreated childhood mental illness can significantly disrupt:
- Health
- Relationships
- School performance
- Quality of life
Recognizing symptoms early and seeking appropriate treatment is crucial.
Family Therapy at Ethos Wellness
Family therapy is a research-backed approach that engages the entire family in the healing process. The goal is to uncover root causes within the household dynamic and equip caregivers with tools to support the family’s growth.
At our conveniently located outpatient healing centers, our qualified therapists deliver compassionate, personalized therapy to children and teens struggling with psychological issues, focusing on enhancing the dynamics within families and relationships through our specialized couple therapy services.. For families unable to access in-person sessions, we also offer virtual telehealth appointments.
Recognizing When a Child Needs Help
As caregivers know too well, childhood rarely follows a straight line. Children often exhibit behavioral shifts that resolve on their own, often caused by:
- School pressures
- Developmental changes
- Family stressors
- Other challenges
However, persistent issues may indicate more serious emotional or psychological troubles that would benefit from family therapy.
Signs That a Child Needs Support
Signs that a child may need support include:
- Lasting behavioral changes: Withdrawal from friends/family, angry outbursts, loss of interest in hobbies, acting out, disobedience, or secretive behaviors.
- Plummeting school performance: Sudden disinterest in schoolwork, declining grades, skipping school, or confrontation with school authorities.
- Physical symptoms: Headaches, stomachaches, body pain, changes in eating/sleeping habits.
- Communication breakdown: Frequent conflicts and tension between the child and parents, siblings, or other family members.
- Inability to cope with stressors: Extreme difficulty dealing with major life changes like divorce, relocation, grief after a loved one’s death, family financial troubles, etc.
While occasional issues are normal, ongoing family conflicts directly impact children’s mental health. Getting support early promotes healthy emotional development and family harmony.
How Family Therapy Can Help
Family therapy addresses interpersonal challenges threatening a child’s well-being. Our skilled therapists partner with the whole family to uncover how behavioral patterns, communication gaps, or other dysfunction may enable a child’s symptoms.
Treatment goals include:
- Identifying family relationship stressors: Assessing family interactions to reveal underlying issues or trauma responses driving a child’s distress.
- Building communication and closeness: Guiding family members to express themselves constructively, deepening connections through empathy, and resolving sources of conflict.
- Establishing stability: Helping families implement household rules, disciplinary approaches, and routines to create a sense of comfort and security for a child.
- Enhancing coping abilities: Equipping families with strategies to navigate external stressors like financial/employment changes, grief, relocation, divorce, etc.
- Accessing community resources: Connecting families with schools, pediatricians, vocational programs, respite care, and other local services for ongoing support.
Our goal is to foster family wellness by resolving dysfunctional patterns and establishing nurturing communication and stability within the home.
The Ethos Approach: Client-Centered Care
At Ethos Wellness, we recognize every child and family’s needs are unique. Our compassionate therapists dedicate themselves to understanding each client’s distinct situation to shape treatment plans that work.
We help families:
1. Assess current challenges to pinpoint appropriate, personalized solutions
2. Establish realistic treatment goals and expectations
3. Learn healthy communication and coping strategies
4. Gradually address deep-rooted family issues through gentle guidance
5. Maintain progress through consistent follow-ups
We also understand the barriers busy families face in regularly attending group play therapy sessions. That’s why we offer convenient virtual telehealth appointments. Clients can access our caring therapists right from home on their digital devices.
Why Choose Family Therapy?
Seeking family therapy equips caregivers to better nurture the entire family unit. Benefits include:
- Improved communication: Family members learn to express themselves constructively and establish mutual understanding. This reduces family conflicts.
- Healthier relationships: Resolving tensions and dysfunction fosters trust and intimacy between parents, children, and siblings.
- Enhanced stability: Establishing household routines, rules, and disciplinary approaches promotes comfort and security.
- Coping skills: Families discover strategies for constructively navigating external stressors like grief, financial changes, moves, divorce, etc.
- Guidance and support: Our therapists provide ongoing assistance to families facing major life challenges.
- A team approach: Our staff collaborates with schools, doctors, and community resources to establish a comprehensive support network.
By engaging the entire family in the healing process, our compassionate therapists can resolve deeper issues threatening children’s mental health and equip caregivers to establish nurturing family foundations.
Meet Our Skilled Family Therapy Team
Our accomplished therapists offer extensive training in family systems theory, child development, play therapy interventions, and trauma-informed care. Many have over a decade’s experience partnering with families to overcome communication breakdowns and behavioral issues in children/teens.
We help families raise resilient, emotionally intelligent children by getting to the heart of dysfunction and providing practical guidance.
Our family therapy staff includes:
- Marriage and family therapists (MFTs): Help families pinpoint and resolve sources of conflict and establish nurturing relationships.
- Play therapists: Employ play, art, and other creative interventions to help children safely express themselves.
- Child psychologists and social workers: Identify and treat emotional/behavioral issues rooted in biology, development, trauma exposure, and environment.
- Specialists: Focus on ADHD, trauma, grief, divorce/separation, LGBTQIA+ youth, adoption/foster families, substance abuse disorders, and more.
No matter the specific mental health challenges faced, our qualified, welcoming therapists leverage decades of family systems experience to guide families towards harmony.
What to Expect in Family Therapy Sessions
Our family therapy sessions create safe spaces for caregivers and children to explore challenges openly and without judgment. All family members play active roles in identifying issues and implementing treatment plans to ensure complete buy-in.
Initial appointments involve comprehensive evaluations of family dynamics and the child’s symptoms to shape customized treatment plans.
Follow-up sessions employ a range of therapeutic techniques, including:
- Discussions geared towards constructive communication and conflict resolution
- Role playing healthy family interactions
- Expressive interventions like art or individual play therapy giving children an emotional outlet
- Stress management and coping skill development for navigating external family stressors
- Guidance for establishing household rules, discipline approaches, routines, etc.
- Ongoing support groups and peer communities to prevent relapse of dysfunctional family patterns
Session Duration and Timeline
Family therapy sessions often last 50 minutes. They can be scheduled on a weekly or biweekly basis.
Most families see improvement in family functioning and child behavior within 6-12 sessions. More complex trauma may take longer to work through.
As families progress, our therapists collaborate to adjust interventions and offer resources to help maintain progress. Through consistent family engagement and compassion, we empower families to build the healthy foundations every child deserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions when considering family therapy:
How Do I Know If My Child Needs Therapy?
Seek support if your child exhibits emotional or behavioral disturbance disrupting their ability to develop, learn, or establish healthy social relationships.
This may include:
- Acting out
- Withdrawal from family/friends
- Declining academic performance
- Physical symptoms without medical cause
- Communication breakdown within the family system
What is the Difference Between Child Therapy and Family Therapy?
Individual child therapy addresses a child’s specific diagnosis. Family therapy engages parents, siblings, and whole households to uncover and resolve sources of dysfunction enabling symptoms. Family treatment fosters communication, intimacy, and coping skills across the family system.
Do Family Sessions Require All Members to Participate Every Time?
Initial appointments involve the whole family to evaluate family dynamics. Follow-up sessions may engage immediate family or subsets based on treatment goals. The therapist will guide family member involvement.
How Can Therapy Help Children Cope with Divorce?
Divorce can be destabilizing for children. Family therapy provides support through this transition with:
- Guidance on constructive communication about the separation
- Establishing reliable parenting routines between households
- Equipping children with coping strategies for managing the multitude of emotions they may face
How Much Does Family Therapy Cost at Ethos Wellness?
We accept most major insurance plans and will verify your coverage to estimate out-of-pocket fees for sessions based on each plan’s policies. We also offer flexible payment options.
Please call to discuss cost or insurance questions. The mental wellness of your family comes first.
Take the First Step Toward Family Wellness
At Ethos Wellness, we understand the challenges of raising a family and empathize with the heartbreak of watching children suffer emotionally. Let our experienced therapists guide your family toward stability, mutual understanding, and growth.
We help families:
- Communicate openly
- Implement nurturing routines
- Leverage community resources
- Process traumas
Contact Ethos Wellness Today
To learn more about our family therapy programs or schedule a risk-free initial consultation, contact us today at (713) 324-3754 or admissions@ethosbhg.com.
Our staff looks forward to helping your family thrive.
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