Family Therapy with adolescents is often a tricky experience for therapists as they try to maintain their connection with teens while simultaneously supporting the ongoing frustrations that parents feel. It is truly both an art and a science in how to navigate between these two roles such that an individual family member does not feel isolated. When starting family therapy, I find it important to not so much focus on the "presenting problem" which tends to be the typical thing to do, but instead to find ways that family members have experienced each other in a way that they would like to see happen again. This does not mean re-enacting the same experience, but re-enacting the same feeling through a shared experience. When asking family members to think about ways that would like to connect and enjoy each other, it is important that family members recognize that it is not the activity suggested that matters as much as their willingenss to committ to that time together. Family therapy can have the effect of playfulness that individuals and family members desperately need to move forward. Although discussing the problems at hand are essential, it needn't dominate the conversation in the opening moments of therapy.
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Bryon is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist practicing in the Southbury Connecticut area. He specializes in working with difficult adolescent behaviors. Bryon has over 14 years experiences working with adolescents and three of his own little people to further expand his knowledge.
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