Learn the Do’s and Dont’s of Family Counseling

Counselors must be prepared to intervene if the tangent ceases to be beneficial and begins to be harmful. Counselors may be required to take sides in order to prevent one family member from berating another. Arguments and interruptions in a controlled situation where counselors can clearly see dynamics are useful therapy tools, but counselors must stop threads of debate that meander into personal assaults or even violence.

 

Don’t overlook the need for proper training.

As proven, counseling families necessitates professionals using complex approaches. It also indicates that counselors who want to work with families should consider becoming certified as a family counselor. Obtaining such status usually necessitates specialized training as well as supervised sessions. According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, counselors must complete a term of supervised clinical practice (typically two years) after graduating from a recognized program before being licensed or certified.

Even when counselors have such credentials and expertise, some family circumstances may push them past their professional limits. This is common when a counselor encounters a family struggling with abuse (sexual, physical, mental, etc.). Such instances, such as court-supervised appointments, necessitate extremely strict preparation and parameters. Though counselors surely want to assist every client and family, they must occasionally take the difficult step of acknowledging that certain types of families require specialized assistance and may benefit from a referral.