Supportive Family Therapy in the San Francisco Bay Area
Are family members struggling because of an illness in the house?
When someone is diagnosed with an illness that is life-changing, whether it is chronic or terminal, it is common for the level of stress in the home (or family unit) to increase. This can cause people to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t and it can bring a sense of tension to the relationships, and usually, it will spill over into work or school too. Everyone wants things to just be “normal.” It’s hard to accept the scary realities when we just don’t want to face them.
Sometimes, it can feel like we are being robbed of our normal experiences, for both the person with the condition and the family members. It doesn’t have to stay this way and we’re here to help you and your family members work through these emotions, both individually and together. When you work with an online therapist in the San Francisco Bay Area, you’re taking the first steps to reduce the stress, be supported, learn new coping tools and finally be able to focus on what matters most to you.
You may benefit from supportive family therapy in the Bay Area.
Having someone diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness in the house will almost always impact other family members, it's hard to imagine how it wouldn’t. Oftentimes, the family needs support figuring out how to establish new roles & expectations. Plus it can be challenging to develop a sense of normalcy while finding their new normal, whatever that may be. If you're noticing some of the things below in a family member of someone diagnosed with an illness, it might be time to reach out and talk with Stephanie about supportive family therapy in the San Fransico Bay Area.
Increased tension
Increase arguments
Trying to do “too much” for the person that has the diagnosis
Experiencing nervousness
Having a hard time turning off “what if” thoughts
Experiencing anxiety or depression
Feeling overwhelmed
Not wanting to talk about “it”
Feelings of uncertainty
Common Stressors in Kids
Grades are slipping/throwing themselves into academics/sports
Teachers/coaches are mentioning that he/she is “spacing out” or having a hard time focusing
Withdrawal from friends or friends become more important / ignoring family
Family Therapy in California Can Help Navigate The New Path
The family is struggling to find its way
Navigating a diagnosis is hard. Now, let’s throw in some emotions, caregiving, scary possibilities, life changes, role, and responsibility changes too. Yikes! It’s a lot to handle and most people struggle to adapt let alone in a healthy, sustainable way.
Working with a family therapist that specializes in changing family dynamics with a lot of outside factors can truly help navigate the winding road ahead.
Working with an online therapist will help the family work through emotions, create systems & find support
Exploring Emotions
Some of the emotions we will explore include grief, disbelief, hopelessness, frustration, guilt and resentment.
We will also discuss things such as understanding wishes, spirituality and the emotions that come up with them.
Create systems
We will talk about what tangible systems aren’t working in the house (or what’s adding extra pressure to someone). Additionally, we want to talk about systems and schedules that can help reduce the stress and not have everything fall on one person.
Some of the things that may need systems could be doctors appointments, finances, transportation, medications, paperwork, cooking, laundry, cleaning all the way to helping our loved one bathe, dress, feed, or transfer if needed.
Find support
Together, we will explore support options outside of the family unit (community organizations, support groups, available resources, etc) and support that can be found within our own social groups.
No one has to do this alone.
My Approach to Supportive Family Therapy in the Bay Area
Like you, I am a member of a family! Every family has its ups and downs, some more so than others. Through my personal and professional experience, I’ve learned that every family has more strengths than we recognize. Everyone has a background, a history, a story, and the collection of those experiences brings a unique lens and set of strengths to the table.
When we work together to navigate the changing family dynamics and “day-to-day operations” of the household, I will be leaning on this belief of strength and being solution-focused within your family. That’s not to say that we won’t also talk about some of the ugly things going on, because we will. But, we will operate from a place of finding solutions, being supportive, and working together. I’m looking forward to connecting with you and your family members to navigate this trying time and the future.
~Stephanie
What Will My Family Gain
in Supportive Family
Therapy in California?
Beginning family therapy in the Bay Area is an important and delicate decision. Each person brings so much to the space. It is important for everyone to be heard. In order for people to find a supportive environment where they can be honest, vulnerable, and discuss their hopes, dreams, fears, and some nitty-gritty-like needs that need to be met, etc.
The Goal of Family Therapy
During family therapy, the main specific goals are always set by the family. However, we find that most people walk away from sessions with a sense of:
perspective
renewed patience
a value of self-care
and a different type of strength to move forward in a challenging, changing, and complex situation.
When You're Ready,
Begin Supportive Family Therapy Online
From Anywhere in California
Our family therapist is ready to help your family with the next steps
Wherever your family might be in the process of dealing with an illness in the family, our virtual Bay Area practice has a caring family therapist that specializes in supportive family therapy and can help the family through the challenges it’s facing. Click the begin family therapy button to help your family take the next steps.
Begin Supportive Family Therapy in the
San Francisco Bay Area!
We know you have a lot going on, we know that therapy might feel like “one more thing” to do. But we also know that having therapy when you’re facing some type of an illness is such important support. But we also know that chronic or terminal illnesses don’t happen in a vacuum, they impact families, not just a singular person. Our specialized family therapist is here to help. Through online family therapy, we can work with anyone physically located in the state of California. We will do everything we can to make the process of starting counseling as easy as possible. After all, we know it can be a bit unsettling to reach out. When you’re ready to begin family counseling, follow these steps:
Reach Out About Family Therapy
When you first reach out, we’ll take some initial information to make sure that our family therapist has the experience and skills to meet your needs. From there, we’ll schedule your free 20-minute consultation.
Meet with Stephanie
When you have your free 20-minute appointment, we will ask questions and learn more about you and you’ll have time to ask questions too. Most importantly, we both want to feel like we’re a good fit for each other.
Begin Family Counseling
If you decide you’d like to work with Stephanie, your family therapist, we’ll schedule a full 50-minute session known as an initial appointment. We’ll go more in-depth here and also take care of some housekeeping items. When you work with your therapist.
Specialized Counseling Services
We know that life can throw a lot of different things at us and you may be struggling with more than one issue. Family therapy in the Bay Area isn’t the only type of therapy that we offer in our Bay Area office! Our skilled therapist also specializes in caregiver burnout, chronic illness therapy, grief therapy as well as depression and anxiety therapy.
While you’re here, you can also visit our resource page and our blog!
