The Recipe for a Healthy Family
Guest Post By Tiffany Connell
One thing I have noticed as a family therapist in Houston is how some families seem to bounce back, perhaps even learning to live more contented lives; while others never quite seem to recover.
While it may seem that some families are “born” with an inherent ability to withstand difficulty, the good news is that any family can grow their foundation to develop stronger and more healthy and functional family bonds.
9 ingredients of a healthy family
There are nine main ingredients for healthy, functional families that fall into three categories: belief systems (what the family thinks and believes); organizational patterns (how the family acts and relates to one another), and communication patterns (how the family speaks and communicates). Any family can mix these nine ingredients to make their own, unique foundational functional family recipe.
Belief systems in healthy families
Functional families:
Are able to make meaning of the adversity, perhaps by normalizing the hardship or viewing it as an opportunity for growth, have a hopeful and positive outlook, they seize opportunities and persevere. They also have a sense of purpose, larger values, or some form of spirituality/faith to lean on.
Organizational patterns in healthy families
Functional families:
Are flexible and able to adapt to new circumstances while also maintaining some stability (rituals, routines, and strong leadership); they are connected and supportive of one another, they respect each other as individuals, and they have social and economic resources by mobilizing the support of kin, social and community networks.
Communication patterns in healthy families
Functional families:
Have clear communication, seek and speak the truth, are open with their emotions, and are willing to share a range of feelings without blaming or “lashing out”, they can tap into their inner resourcefulness and collaborate to problem solve.
OTHER THERAPY SERVICES WE OFFER IN HOUSTON, TX
In addition to family therapy, we have other mental health services that we offer at our Houston, TX counseling office. Our services are available for adults, children, and teens. For individuals, we offer Anxiety Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, School and College Counseling, Autism Therapy, Couples Therapy and Marriage Counseling, Infertility Counseling, Perinatal and Postpartum Treatment, and Premarital Counseling. As well as Trauma Therapy, PTSD Treatment, EMDR Therapy, and LGBTQ+ Counseling. Our caring therapists also offer Career Counseling, and LPC Supervision. All of these services are also available through Online Counseling throughout Texas.
At Wilson Counseling, we believe there is hope for all families to thrive after a hardship. We are here to walk alongside you as you develop and implement the tools of becoming a healthy functional family unit. We also have family therapists who can help.