Arizona Family Counseling: Family Counseling Near Phoenix, AZ

Located in Scottsdale, Pathways Counseling Services is a top Arizona family counseling center. If you are local to the Phoenix metro area and would like to book a session, please schedule an appointment here or call us at (480) 235-1682.

Even when families love each other and communicate with the best of intentions, it does not guarantee a conflict-free homelife. Every family has a different story, communicates differently, and faces a different set of challenges than the next.

In this article, we’ve included some quick information on what family counseling is, who it’s for, and how it can help families overcome a variety of obstacles and grow closer together.

What is family counseling?

Because every family configuration and situation is different, family counseling services can look wildly different from one family to another. However, at its core, family counseling is a series of counseling sessions designed to help families work through the conflicts they have together or to help them process and overcome a difficult situation, such as a divorce, a death, or abuse.

While it’s common to have two or more family members participate in a session at the same time, sessions can always be done individually if necessary. Family counseling sessions also do not need to be between a parent and child; they can be between siblings, cousins, step-siblings, step-parents, and so on.

How do I know if I need family counseling?

The beautiful thing about family counseling is that it’s never a bad idea to go. If you sense any sort of conflict within your family unit, if you have experienced a sudden loss or traumatic event, or if you simply want to improve your connections with one another, we strongly encourage you to look into a family counseling session.

Some common reasons to seek family counseling include:

• Frequent verbal fights or miscommunications
• The death of a family member or loved one
• A divorce or separation between two parents
• A traumatic experience
• Behavioral issues or mental illness
• Domestic violence, neglect, or other forms of abuse*

*Please note: if abuse is present in the relationship, your first and foremost priority is to remove yourself or any affected person from that violence, not to fix the relationship. A family counseling session will not be appropriate nor will it be held if the abuser is present.

Benefits of family counseling

Improve communications together
Where many families struggle at home is in how they communicate with one another. Family counseling will teach each person in the family how they can communicate in a more strategic and respectful way to avoid accusatory statements or outbursts. When each family member involved keeps an open mind and communicates their feelings respectfully, positive outcomes are much more likely to follow.

Overcome obstacles and work out differences
Counseling can give families new perspectives on how each person can confront and/or process the issues they are facing in a more healthy way. Rather than catch on the same snags over and over again and keep conflicts cyclical, family counseling can help isolate the root of the issue and give each person a framework they can use to navigate conflict in a more productive and respectful way.

Understand each other better and strengthen bonds
By learning more about the emotional needs and behaviors of each family member, each person is more likely to understand what they can do to be a better sister/brother/son/daughter/mother/father/etc to the rest of the family. When each person is actively making an effort to learn more about one another and learn how to be better communicators, tensions will naturally begin to loosen and the bonds between family members will begin to grow.

Your Arizona Family Counseling Center

Located in Scottsdale, Pathways Counseling Services is an Arizona family counseling practice committed to helping families heal and grow stronger together. We believe virtually every family can learn something and improve their relationships if they’re dedicated to making positive changes as a team.

If you are interested in scheduling a family counseling appointment with one of our therapists, please give us a call at (480) 235-1682 or book an appointment here to get in touch.