Support for Families of Uniformed Personnel & First Responders
Families are a complex unit and come in many shapes and sizes. Add changing dynamics (births, deaths, separations, and growth) or the stress of having a parent who is in the military or a first responder, and navigating peaceful relationships can be challenging. For these families, circumstances such as frequent relocations, parental deployment and separation, and difficulties accessing medical and mental health services can influence the health and well-being of children and their families.[1] These and many other events can trigger family conflict. As much as there can be love and acceptance in your family, there can also be many issues that make your family feel not so loving or accepting.
Symptoms & signs of family issues
- Continual arguing and bickering
- Inability to communicate effectively
- Unwillingness to listen when someone is expressing concerns
- Anger management issues
- Physical altercations
- Sibling rivalry
- Abuse or neglect
- Alcohol or substance abuse issues
- Fear of certain family members
The effects of these symptoms and signs may include:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Emotional fatigue
- Poor work performance
- Problems in other relationships
- Low self-esteem
When is it time to get help?
Perhaps you’ve tried talking with your family, but the same patterns and negative behaviour gets repeated. If you feel that your family is controlling, judgmental, dysfunctional, or making you feel sad or bad about yourself, it’s time to seek help. As well, if you’ve been told that the effects of PTSD, alcohol, drug, or other dependencies are affecting the family or maybe you feel that you are a contributor to the dysfunction, it’s time to get some help.
Treatment methods for family issues
Together with your therapist you will determine the best approach to healing your family. Your therapist may also recommend specific and proven treatment methods such as:
- Family Systems Therapy looks at the family as one emotional unit. This therapeutic approach looks at the relationships within the family and the structure as a whole.
- Structural Therapy is when therapists tend to look at the organized pattern of the family members in order to help and understand family patterns. Commonly, these patterns are repeated and by understanding structure one can decide what needs to be done in order to help modify or improve the relational patterns.
- Behavioural Therapy tends to view human beings and behaviour with the assumption that humans are a product of their sociocultural conditioning and environment, looking at the current problems and the factors influencing them and emphasizes behaviour changes more than the underlying unconscious processes.
- Solution Focused Therapy views people as inherently strong and resilient, and capable of creating change and discovering solutions to their everyday problem.
What will I get out of treatment with Insight Psychological?
You will come away with an understanding of the dynamics in your own family and the role you play in it. You can learn about healthy boundaries, problem solving, healthy and effective communication, and learn how to reduce conflicts. Please contact us today to book an appointment.
[1] https://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/military-families
