Strong, healthy relationships between children and parents come with hard work. It takes a lot for people to understand each other and accept frustrations that naturally come with a home filled with multiple personalities. Family counseling can help you maneuver many of the road blocks that come with family life, and it can help to decrease the amount of stress in a household. Whether your family has recently gone through a difficult situation or you’re simply dealing with opposing views, attitudes, and personalities, a family counselor can greatly improve your family’s well-being. Here are a few reasons why family counseling is so helpful for families of all kinds.

A Single Family Member Dealing with Issues Affects Everyone

It has been said that a parent is only as happy as their unhappiest child, and that saying exists for a reason. When one member of a family is dealing with difficulties, it affects every member of that household. When a child isn’t happy, his or her parents aren’t very happy, and as a result, their other children suffer. The same situation works the other way: when a parent is unhappy, his or her children can easily sense it and find it difficult to be happy as well. As you can see, it takes everyone in a family to work through situations together to build a healthy relationship and positive well-being for every member. Family counseling can provide customized therapy for each member of a household, as well as group sessions for everyone to share opinions in a safe environment.

Family Counseling Helps to Surface Difficulties before They Emerge

If you’re a parent with young children and can sense there may be something wrong with one of your children, family counseling can help to bring forth those potential problems and work to correct them before they become a real issue. Mental issues among children include violent behavior, anti-social tendencies, and more. Every parent wishes the best for his or her child and wants nothing more for them to be happy and feel like a regular kid. Family counseling can help to identify and correct an issue without making the child feel as if they’ve done something wrong.

Family Counseling Can Be Adapted to Every Household Member or Situation

Family counseling can be offered to help a young child, teenager, or adult dealing with any type of personal issue. Family counselors are knowledgeable in the many aspects of psychology that differ between age and the varying stages of life. They can also provide individualized therapy and group sessions, or a combination of both. Therapists are trained to handle the multiple aspects of family life that can cause many difficulties and frustrations for both parents and children. These include dealing with divorce, puberty, death, and more. Family counseling provides each member a protected environment to voice their views and concerns, with the knowledge that there will be no judgment or raised voices involved.

Family life is often complicated and overwhelming to handle by yourself. No one has all the answers, and a family counseling program can be truly helpful to any family no matter their circumstance or situation. Give Tracy E. Crain LPC, licensed family counselor, a call at (817) 283-4300 for customized family counseling programs.

If you’re the parent of a youngster, you know how active and loud they can get.  You know how full of energy they seem and you know they sometimes willfully disobey what you’re asking them to do.  But how can you be sure if your child, who seems to be going in every which direction, is simply doing so by choice or is having a medical problem that he/she can’t control?

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder affects approximately 5% of the nation’s children, with speculation the true number is closer to 10% according to the National Institute of Mental Health.  Unlike many childhood ailments, ADHD doesn’t have a specific test to use for diagnosis.  Instead, mental health professionals will talk with family members and teachers and try to piece together a true snapshot of what’s going on.

Signs of ADHD reveal a pattern of behavior.  For instance, is your child being forgetful?  Does he/she seem to daydream a lot or seem not to be able to pay attention or concentrate?  Does your child show impatience in minor tasks, like learning to take turns, or show signs of squirming or fidgeting when seated?  Does he or she talk excessively or become excessively active (climbing or running) with little regard to their surroundings?  Is he/she loud and constantly interrupting others?  Distracted easily?  Even appear defiant or aggressive?

As seen above, it’s easy to understand why parents pose the question if this is a medical condition or simply a child out of control who willfully plays loud, interrupts, is rude and self-centered due to bad behavior.  If the child is out of control while visiting grandma, but can sit still for hours playing video games, what does that tell us?  If the child is being a blatant brat, then perhaps some family discipline can pull the child back into the family and civility.  However, parents are confused and concerned that they will try to discipline a child who has a medical problem and can’t help what they’re doing.

Normally, ADHD is something diagnosed before the age of 7.  It has to have manifested itself in ALL aspects of the child’s life, not just things they don’t like.  It also has to have been something observable for at least a six month period.  These are just guidelines, of course.

The best way to determine if your child is in need of more direction or in need of medication is by taking him or her for diagnosis with a professional.  As mentioned, there is no definitive test for ADHD.  A wrong diagnosis can put a child on serious medications without them being needed, or it can lead to a family bent on more discipline to rein in a child who simply, medically can’t help what they do.

It’s hard enough to be a parent today without expecting yourself to diagnose a possible chemical imbalance.  Reach out to ADHD counselor Tracy Crain for more information and insight into what may be wrong.