A Guide for Chicago Parents Navigating Child & Family Therapy
In our last blog post, we shared some of the most common questions we are asked by parents and family members to determine whether their child would benefit from counseling.
As parents begin the journey of looking for resources and more information about child and family therapy, how family therapy works, and whether it’s right for them, we’re sharing information to help you know what’s right for you.
There are many different options for families and children when it comes to therapy, but we will consider two of the most popular kinds: family therapy and individual therapy. While family therapy considers all of the systems outside of an individual that may impact them (including the family system itself), individual therapy focuses on the individual’s personal struggles separately. Family therapy aims to follow a more holistic approach, with goals centered around the family and its collective dynamics and ability to communicate effectively with one another.
At Our House, we strongly encourage parents and families to take advantage of the flexibility we offer in transitioning between family therapy and individual therapy depending on the situation and needs. For every family, goals and needs can change over time as you make progress or discover new areas to focus on. We want to honor that journey and provide our clients with the opportunity to adjust their therapy experience based on these fluctuations.
What is family therapy and how does it work?
As explained above, family therapy is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a type of psychological counseling (or psychotherapy) that can help family members improve communication and resolve conflicts.
As a result, family therapy typically focuses on improving relationships among family members and can be used to treat acute mental health or behavioral conditions. Individual therapy does not consider as heavily the impact of outside sources of systems (such as education, faith, health, family, etc.) in how a person feels or experiences the world. That’s why we offer family therapy and believe it can be a powerful tool for children, parents, and families at large.
For children, family therapy can be a critical approach to help them feel safe and secure. We often use individual therapy in concert with family therapy, so children still have the security of their own private sessions with a trusted therapist who sees them separate and alone from the family.
Family therapy is usually provided by a psychologist, clinical social worker, or licensed therapist. It’s common for these therapists to have graduate or postgraduate degrees and other certifications depending on specialization.
Along with the therapist who guides each session, one critical difference between family therapy and individual therapy is –about who participates. The process of family therapy typically brings together several family members for therapy sessions, while one individual (in this case, the child) can see a family therapist individually. In this process, sessions themselves typically last 50 minutes.
According to the Cleveland Clinic and several studies of the effect of family therapy, almost 90 percent of people report an improvement in their emotional health following family therapy treatment. In child-family cases, about 73 percent of parents report that their child’s behavior improved.
How do I know if family therapy is right for our family?
We’ve seen firsthand the impact family therapy can have on families struggling to support their child through difficult and important life events and behavioral shifts. We know it can be a blessing to many parents and families. But we also know each child and each family is different.
That being said, doctors and researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have made a great checklist for parents hoping to identify whether family therapy is right for them and their family, and we tend to agree.
We’ve seen family therapy work most effectively when the parent, guardian, child and family are:
Ready to be open and honest with a therapist
Committed to making positive changes together
Able to identify goals and specific reasons they’ve come to therapy
Willing to follow the treatment plan we make together
Prepared to participate and practice new skills and behaviors outside of session
If you and your family are ready with open minds and hearts, we know the benefits of family therapy will help you, your family, and your child.
How does family therapy work at Our House?
We think family therapy can be an incredibly powerful tool for parents, guardians, and families taking care of a child. In the city of Chicago, there are limited options for families seeking out family therapy, so it means a lot to us that we’ve brought together a community of West Side and Northwest Side Chicago families.
Unlike other providers, we offer collaborative family therapy within a system of care that values prevention, supports cohesiveness, and works to hold space for all relationships within your family unit. Alongside traditional family therapy sessions, we provide check-ins, virtual telehealth sessions, support challenges like navigating schools and health systems, and serve our clients through advocacy work, offer social and recreational opportunities, and, of course, offer therapy to you, your child, and your family.
At Our House Therapy Collective, we start with a comprehensive family intake that can last anywhere from one to four weeks. This is our chance to truly get to know your family so we can recommend services we think will be helpful to you, and assign therapists that are the right fit for your child, each individual family member, and the family as a whole.
We work with your family to provide mental health services within the system of care, helping you and your child build resilience and leave feeling prepared and supported in facing your challenges. When the time comes that we decide together that less treatment is required for you and your family, the Our House community will continue to be available as your family needs us.
For the crises your family may face, we provide stabilization services, can offer continued therapy, or can provide you a space to get your bearings. It’s not uncommon that our clients return monthly or even once a year to feel connected and grounded in the healing work they have done. We consider ourselves “home base” for the children, parents, and families with which we work - and that never really ends. Like all important relationships, we think the relationships we build in therapy with our clients will continue on and shape all of us as we grow long past “goodbye.”
How do I find a family therapist or a child behavioral therapist near me in Chicago?
As you begin your search for the right family therapist or child behavioral therapist located conveniently near you or your child’s home, school, etc., we think it’s important to consider a few things about the therapy practice you choose.
Proximity: As mentioned, it’s important that the location of the office where you and your family will visit with their counselor be near your home, the child’s school, or in some way convenient to the larger group. Not only will this improve the likelihood that everyone will be able to join, but it can reduce possible resentment or frustration with therapy in general.
Cost: It’s important to consider the cost of services as you begin this journey. At Our House, we think it’s important that everyone get access to the care they need, regardless of how they can pay. Find out all of the ways we can accommodate your needs as you start this journey. We think when considering how best to support and care for your family, cost should be the last thing on your mind.
Fit: Now that you’ve learned a bit more about what family therapy is and how it could fit into the lives of your child, yourself, and your family, it’s time to consider fit. At Our House, we talk, play, and create a sense of home together. We know sometimes therapy happens with the whole family in the room, and sometimes it happens in the living area or over the phone. We want to consider you and your whole family in our partnership together.
How can Our House Therapy help?
Our House Therapy is a community of therapists, individuals, families, children, and therapy dogs who come together for the purpose of healing. We work with families every day who benefit from family therapy, but that may wish to seek out even more flexible ways to engage with therapy. At Our House, we want to provide that flexibility and options to make therapy a part of our clients’ lives. We think of Our House as just that – a house serving as a therapy office in our clients’ neighborhood. We are accessible to our community in unique and flexible ways. We:
provide check-ins,
offer virtual, telehealth sessions
support navigating schools and health systems,
serve our clients through advocacy work,
offer social and recreational opportunities,
and, of course, provide therapy.
Our House Therapy Collective aims to create a warm, welcoming community where people feel supported. If that sounds right for you, we’d love to work together. To learn more, reach out and schedule an intake call where you can learn more about whether family therapy is right for you and your family.
