Family therapy is sometimes known as systemic therapy. It essentially means that the therapist can work with more than one person in the room, where the conversation about a problem is perhaps looked at from different points of view. Not everybody in a family needs to be or indeed wants to be there. however a therapist might look at how that person might like their views to be known.
Family therapy works very well with children or teenagers. Having worked in a Family therapy team in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital for many years, Deirdre is familiar with many children’s issues, including medical conditions, eg diabetes Type 1, neurological conditions such as epilepsy, or other diagnoses such as Aspergers, as well as children/teens with eating disorders or presenting with behavioural challenges in school or at home.
For an appointment connected with a child or young person in your family please make contact here or just phone 0863895777
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Therapy with kids need not be intense or boring. Deirdre uses a Narrative Approach to engage with children/kids to talk about their problems so that they begin to solve them themselves. Often kids have a greater appreciation of what is needed to happen. They just need someone to believe in their super powers to solve problems.
The hardest step is to make the phone call. Parents often feel of course worried when there is a problem with one of their children. They also feel that they might face criticism, or worse, blame for “not getting it right”. Believe me this is a normal reaction and worry of many parents. They may have tried many ways of solving the issue, they may have consulted with others, and feel that going to a therapist is a sign that they have failed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Deirdre has more than 25 years of experience in helping parents and children to sort through the difficult issues and see their own strengths and how they can capitalise on them to find a way forward.
Sometimes a teenager needs time alone in therapy and not with their parents. This is a time when they can talk about what concerns them. Some families attend once or twice together and then the teenager attends alone, with a review session at a later date with the parents.
The different approaches are always done by agreement with the people concerned, and both parents and children’s feelings and wishes are paramount.
