FAMILY THERAPY AND PARENTAL COUNSELING IN ENGLISH
IN COPENHAGEN

When a family member is not doing well, then the whole family is affected. In practice this means that, if f eg. a parent is stressed or has a life crises, even if no one else in the family knows that everyone can feel it, both the kids and the other parent (they can see it in the way the parent behaves, reacts and interacts with the rest of the family).

​

WHAT CAN YOU GET FROM FAMILY THERAPY

​

- a so called "family - check" - how do we feel in this family, how it is to be a member of this family

- the possibility to learn to talk about difficult things, emotions and experiences that hurt 

- the opportunity to manage negative conflicts in a different way

- training to pay more attention on the "how" you do things

- learn to integrate the differences of experience and emotions when being together - we can have a different experience of the same situation and still be together, we can have different needs and boundaries and still respect each other and be together.

- awareness regarding the transition from child to teenager - the grief proces that accompanies this transition - both for the children and for the parents. 

- learn to repair and take responsibility for the past - especially helpfull for parents with grown up children and for grown up siblings.

​

CHILDREN IN THE THERAPY ROOM - YES OR NO?

 

Usually we think that if we don't talk with our children about the difficult challenging situations that maybe don't directly concern them, then we protect them. Such situations can be - someone in the family died, the parents decided to divorce but don't have all the practical details yet, a sibling got a diagnose, a family member has a mental illness, etc.

It really has the opposite effect. Our children feel that something is wrong but don't have the ability to make sense of what they feel inside and to make the connection to what is going on outside. They can see that the parents are worried f eg, but they don't know why. The children themselves can feel fear, sadness, worry, but if no adult helps them to put into words what they might feel and make the connections, then the children are left alone with their feelings. Not knowing how to make sense of the situation, they often end up thinking that it is their fault.

​

In the therapy room the children get to experience that parents are helped to take responsibility for their own feelings/thoughts/actions and for the atmosphere in the family. As a result the children will relax and go back to being children. Children get the experience of being seen and taken seriously by another adult and that the parents get help to see the child.

​

Children are often symptoms of dysfunctional conflicts and interaction in the family. Bringing the children into the therapy room helps me observe the dynamics between all the members and direct the therapy towards what the parents need to change, learn, do differently, and, in that way, assume leadership and responsibility. The parents can train a different way of being in contact with their child, during the therapy session, here and now . 

​

PARENTAL COUNSELING 

​

In some situations parents need more guidance and concrete counseling regarding specific problematic issues. In this case, family therapy can be combined with counseling for parents. These situations can regard f eg:

- recurrent conflicts in the rush hours - typically in the morning when everybody is in a hurry to get to work/school, in the afternoon or when going to bed

- conflicts during family meals - about kids that don't want to eat or/and uncomfortable atmosphere

- difficulty to say no and situations when parents experience that the children don't listen

- conflicts between siblings

- looking at the families everyday life and structure - is it clear and predictable enough - which is important for all children, but especially for the children that have been diagnosed with ADHD or/and autism

- specific examples of communication.

​

FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE (13-25) AND THEIR FAMILIES ​

​

There are many young people (aged 13-25) that experience states of depression and/or anxiety and isolate themselves from the rest of the world in their room, at home. I have experienced that this can be a challenge for getting the right help, because it's nearly impossible for the young person to come to the psychotherapist/psychologist and to get help. 

If you are one of the families who have a young/teenager at home who struggles with coming/going out, then I can come home to you. Our first sessions can take place in your home, in order to start the therapy process, and then find out what kind of help you need as a family and how to get it. The result of it can be that your child can regain the energy, courage and strength to come to the therapy room. 

​

You can book  a free non-binding conversation, if you are in doubt and want to know more, by clicking on this button: