Marriage is very complex and takes a lot of work. Many people do not understand the amount of work that marriage really takes. This is especially true if you are blending families in the process. Divorce rates are already high and they become even more likely when there are other family members involved. Spouses with children from previous marriages will find many more struggles involved in their marriage and their marriage will require even more work. Blending families can be very stressful to all parties involved, and the lines of communication can become blurred and confusing. Family counseling can be a very helpful process during this blending.
The center point of a blended family is the married couple. They need to be strong and remain on neutral grounds for the marriage and the blending to work. If they are constantly fighting or disagreeing about children and family roles, the children will also be confused. Parents also have to be careful about not showing favoritism when it comes to their own children versus step children. Psychotherapy services can help to find these communication differences and to unite the couple in a strong bond. Additionally, marriage intensives may be a good idea prior to marriage. The couple is likely to face a lot of challenges, challenges that they may not be able to prepare for. Marriage intensives allow the couple to role play a variety of possible problems. These role plays can make them think about and plan for how they will handle them.
According to the Chicago Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy, research shows that about 50% of couples who participated in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy recovered upon the termination of therapy, with 70% recovering within the next 3 months.
Couples therapy can be a crucial part in increasing the strength of the family and in providing a united bond to the children. Most blended families experience problems when there are unclear boundaries and unclear roles in the family. These roles and rules need to be established prior to the marriage even occurring. This is why many people will recommend attempting to live together prior to the marriage.
A licensed marriage and family therapist is an expert in the field of family relationships. They have seen all types of families and all types of problems and can be a great resource to families who are struggling. If you turn to a licensed marriage and family therapist, you will typically spend 20 to 40% less than you would if you had opted to work with a psychologist or a psychiatrist. The costs are less and you are working with someone who is specialized in the field of family and relationships.
Psychotherapy services can also be helpful for the individual members of the family, who may feel like they are never being heard in their new, larger family model. Individual psychotherapy sessions may better prepare each member of the family with how they want to approach difficult topics. Individual counseling sessions can be used to prepare and practice conversation approaches that will happen during the family counseling sessions. These psychotherapy sessions can also help the individual work on any underlying individual problems.
Family counseling services show good results. After working with a marriage or family therapist, 93% of patients said they had more effective tools for dealing with their problems. Respondents also reported improved physical health and the ability to function better at work after attending therapy. Problems with a marriage or difficulties in a new family dynamic can really affect many aspects of your life, and successful counseling services can help handle and diminish these problems.
Marriage takes a lot of work. This is especially true if there are additional family members involved in the marriage. Blended families take a lot of communication and role work. The use of a professional and licensed marriage and family counselor can really help to ease into the blended family model. Individual psychotherapy sessions can help each member of the family to work on communication methods and to express their concerns. This can prepare them for the family counseling sessions, leading to more resolution.
