Conjoint therapy is a collaborative and inclusive form of therapy that aims to increase the emotional security between you and your child.
When your child is struggling, it is hard to know where to start to get them help. As a parent of a struggling child, you may feel frustrated, yelling more often than you would prefer, or worrying that you are somehow doing it wrong. Research shows that parent coaching results in more effective outcomes than providing the child with individual therapy alone.
At BeWell Therapy we have a particular expertise of combining individual therapy for the child with parent-coaching for the parent(s) so that the whole family can achieve a happier and healthier environment.
When children are young, the same therapist can be successful at doing both of these roles. However, as children age, and often become more rebellious, it can be helpful for the child to have his or her own therapist, and the parents another therapist. This structure allows both the child and the parent(s) to be confident that their autonomy is being respected as their family unity is being supported.
By learning parenting skills such as active listening, emotion coaching, and emotion support, conjoint parent-child therapy helps you—
- Clarify your parental role and protective responsibility
- Talk to your child about emotionally-charged situations in an honest, calm, and supportive manner
- Help your child work through difficult feelings related to traumatic events
- Cultivate an age appropriate, emotionally supportive response when addressing distressing situation.
