Parents Experience in Family Therapy

Raising an adolescent is a challenging task, and the difficulty of this task increases when the child is confronted with problems that the parents feel they are not able to deal with. Parents often feel as though their family life is in a state of crisis, and the escalating conflict reaches a point in which there is no room to negotiate. Parents bring their adolescent into therapy after having exhausted many of their options and feel unclear about what direction to take. Parents may make an appointment to seek family therapy because of perceived personal shortcomings in their parenting skils and because of their perceived lack of alternatives. Therapists need to be particularly sensitive to parents at the onset of therapy, realizing that parents may feel inadequae, underprepared, and overwhelmed. In addition, family therapists can provide support and work to create a trusting relationship with parents prior to doing more direct interventions such as challenging or confronting parenting styles. It is interesting to understand why parents seek therapy even after other therapy attempts have been unsuccessful. Establishing a supportive therapeutic climate is key to therapeutic success as families often find it difficult to make that step inviting support to the ones they love.

AAMFT Journal of Marital & Family Therapy






Bryon Remo is a licensed marital and family therapist practicing in the Southbuy Connecticut area. He has worked with adolescents for the past 14 years in varying capacities. He believes strongly that teens and parents need to find a common language they can communicate through in which each are given the space to share, plan and consider all perspectives.