Family Counselling
Family therapy can consist of the nuclear family, extended family a blended family or just a part of a family. Different cultures will have different ways of understanding and structuring family and it is important to be aware and discover people’s pre notions of family and work with an understanding of their cultural context.
Dr. Mike Dadson relates:
Dysfunctional is not mean to be a term of judgement but rather a description of a system or a set of behaviors that are not meeting the needs, desires, wants or goals of the individuals making the decisions or living in the system. It is a descriptive term not a value judgement. There are a few ways of looking at the family that can help answer that question but most of all each family member hold the information that can help understand the answer to that question.
In the systems approach to therapy, the family is viewed as an organized system- where every person that exists in the family is a contributing member who creates processes which therefore shape the behavioural dynamic of the family. In other words, “each family member is influenced by- and also influences- the other members” identifies Dr. Mike Dadson. The goal of this approach to therapy is to foster the growth of the whole family so that the family and each person in the family may grow holistically.
Dr. Mike Dadson specializes in helping families where the patterns of miscommunication develop between family members can potentially lead to unresolved conflicts and relationship ruptures. In some cases, if one member of the family has a mental heath concern, then the whole family can be affected. For example, if a child is suffering with depression and suicidality the other members can be deeply troubled and can often feel overwhelming powerlessness. Dr. Michael Dadson utilizes his experience and when effective, will work with all members of the family to help them cope with a variety of underlying life concerns. He is an expert communicator and conflict resolution facilitator. Dr. Dadson works to help each member feel heard, known and important.
Family Therapy Solutions That Work For Everyone
Dr. Mike Dadson explains:
In structural family therapy, the boundaries and structures of the family are examined- for example, who drives decision and rule-making; what boundaries exist; and so forth. In some families, the parents do not make the rules together– or they may be at odds with each other by trying to undermine the rules- which will disrupt the family dynamic and cause conflict among the children. Therapy helps them establish differences in the parental system sibling system as families may struggle with what rules are and how they can function or dysfunction in the family unit. Understanding of each person’s role and facilitating communication from those roles effectively helps to address and resolve conflicts and differences.
Strategic family therapy seeks to address specifically identified problems within a relatively short time period. In strategic family therapy, Dr. Dadson would design a detailed approach to resolving each family member’s problem- and guide what happens in their therapy sessions.