Are family counselling associations really useful, and what do they do to help families? To answer these questions, it is necessary to remember what a family is. It is a union of many people who have to live together and do not always see the world the same way. It is therefore not surprising that families sometimes need an outsider to help them cope with the difficulties they face. The question is just how much real help can these types of organizations provide?
Family Counselling Associations: Permanent Psychological Support
There is nothing more complex than becoming an adult, and the task becomes even more complicated when you start your family. Children transform an already complex life into a real obstacle course, during which the adult(s) will have to show that they are mature enough to withstand all the difficulties they will encounter. At the same time, they must be able to do this together without the stresses they are experiencing spilling over into the lives of their child or children. In theory, it’s pretty easy. Many families are confident that nothing can destroy their bond. In practice, it’s often the little everyday problems that end up destroying even the most close-knit families.
Family counselling associations offer to help families in trouble to remember what has united them in the past. They first help these families to identify the source of the problem. It may be financial or relationship-related. It can also be the health of one of the family members. The addiction (alcohol, drugs) of one family member, for example, always ends up having a destructive effect on the whole family. The same is true for serious illnesses or after a death occurs.
These associations aim to assist the family and find with them solutions adapted to their problem and lifestyle. In addition, they encourage the family members to talk to each other. There is nothing more serious than a relationship poisoned by silence, where everyone holds on to growing resentments. They are time bombs that must be defused before they explode. The psychological support offered by the associations helps each member of the family to pay more attention not to his or her resentments, but to the suffering of the other members. Once they do this, it will be easier for them to understand them, to understand their state of mind and to behave accordingly.
It is a long process that takes months or even years and is not always successful. However, it is necessary because every society relies on families.
