“Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible – the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.” – Virginia Satire

Does your family life feel chaotic? Have you gotten lost in circles of conflict and isolation? Are you wondering how you will ever turn things around to create the family you envision?

Were your best intentions misunderstood by the people you are closest to? They don’t see your point of view and you don’t see theirs? What you thought would bring you closer, drove you further apart. Now, it feels too late to repair. 

It’s not too late. No matter how dysfunctional your family life feels, you can turn things around.

Families thrive in an atmosphere that is nurturing and structuring. All too often, however, these two pillars are not balanced. One may be valued more than the other, leaving a family over- or under-structured or nurtured in ways that are hurtful. Hurtful nurturing is designed to put a parent’s needs before those of a child. Or it focuses on the child’s dependency so much that it keeps him or her from reaching normal developmental stages.

Unbalanced families experience high levels of stress and disconnection. In fact, they may only know how to connect with each other through stress and tension, which are poor substitutes for connections based on love and closeness.

If it is hard to step outside of one’s self to see what is going on, imagine how hard it is to step outside of a family and observe just where the balance is off. Family therapists are outside of the family system and trained to observe the processes that occur within individuals and between them. They hear what is communicated between the arguments and see beyond the pointed fingers.

If your home does not feel warm (nurture) and safe (structure), your family can benefit from family therapy. Don’t put it off any longer than you already have. Get help today.