Four Misconceptions About Family Therapy That You Should Be Aware Of

Family CounselingMarch 12, 2019

Let’s get one thing out of the way: every family needs family therapy just like every person needs to visit the doctor. You might not need it as often as everyone else, but you will definitely need it at least once in your life because no family is perfect. Yes, those neighbors that seem like they’re the model family have their own set of problems that they need to work through. The problem with therapy is that going to it includes admitting that there’s a problem, and not many people are prepared to do that. However, if you want your family to keep functioning without any problems and without fights occurring regularly, you should go to family therapy.

There could be any number of problems which you might be going through at the moment, and the positive solution is to go to family therapy so that you can gain a professional’s insight into the matter. Not only does family therapy have a lot of stigma behind it, but it also has misconceptions which dissuade people from taking advantage of it.

Here are some common myths about family therapy that you need to realize aren’t true whatsoever:

Taking Medication Is Easier And Quicker Than Therapy

In the short term, this might seem like it’s true. Medication helps with depression and anxiety, among other sorts of other problems, but you have to look at what you’re doing through the lens of a therapist. All you’re doing is prolonging the problem and running from it while denying its existence whereas you should be facing it right now. Medication is definitely easier than therapy in the short term because you don’t have to prepare for the sessions, and you don’t have to convince the whole family to join. It also seems much quicker because long therapy sessions are tiresome in comparison to taking some form of medication. However, if you look at the problem a few years down the road, medication won’t have had much of an effect since the root of the problem will still exist and still untreated. Instead of avoiding it, you should head on over to a therapist that you think is suitable for your family, and get to solving your issues.

Therapists Take The Children’s Side In Any Matter

As a parent, you shouldn’t have to have any such worries. Therapists are trained professionals who know exactly what they’re dealing with when you go over to them for help. You’re not the only family going through the problems that you’re facing, and your therapist has experience dealing with other such cases. Your therapist will certainly not take your children’s side if they’re the ones who’re the cause of the issue – although, the therapist won’t be ‘blaming’ anyone. They’re there to help you find a fix to the issue that you’ve got, not to point fingers. Nothing’s going to be accomplished if you remain divided as a family, and if that’s the case, your therapist will be able to help you.

Every Family Member Will Need To Be Present During Sessions

While it certainly helps to have every member of the family present during sessions, you should never use this as an excuse to not go to therapy at all. If a family member is too busy to attend, the sessions can carry on without them. Of course, if that family member is imperative to the sessions, then something needs to be done to help them attend therapy, and your therapist should be more than willing to provide for you in this regard. The important thing is that the therapy sessions happen no matter what.

Family Therapy Doesn’t Really Help With Family Problems

This misconception is probably the worst of them all, and you need to understand that this is certainly not the case. Family therapy has helped thousands of families come to an understanding and reach conclusions to the problems that they suffered from. Your family could be going through anything — from substance abuse to a divorce — and you won’t be able to solve the differences and disdain that the family develops over time.