Family tension is extremely common, and it can have far-reaching effects, from arguments, shifts in behavior, secret-keeping, and mood swings, to the division between family members, high-stress levels, and illness. If this tension becomes severe, it can impact every family member’s mental and physical health, their relationships, and even their ability to function day to day. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with the stress of family problems. 


Family therapy is designed to help bring families together to address the problems that are affecting them as a unit. Contrary to what many people believe, the issues don’t have to be serious to benefit from this type of counseling. In fact, family counseling can help prevent issues from becoming more severe and creating dysfunction within the family group. 

There can be a wide range of reasons why a family looks at enlisting the help and support of a family counselor. Here are some of the most common and how family counseling can help.

Blended family struggles. A blended family is a name given to two separate family units that decide to become one, and it can take many different forms. A blended family can create stepparents, stepchildren, and even stepsiblings. Unsurprisingly, navigating this move into a single-family unit isn’t easy, especially when previous families are very much still active in your lives. 

All blended families strive to create a single, harmonious family unit and your family counselor can help you to listen to one another, uncover the cause of friction and establish the best way to overcome it, and create strong bonds that build the relationships that you desire. 

Addiction struggles. Addiction is much more common than many people expect and can affect anyone in the family, from adults to children. Addiction can also take many forms. Most people think of drug and alcohol abuse, but gambling, prescription medication abuse, and even internet/video game addiction are all very real issues that can affect families of all types and locations. Addiction can have massive consequences, not only for the addict but also for the wider family unit. For example, addicts can become withdrawn or aggressive, may lie, steal and place the family into emotional, physical, or financial difficulties. 

Family counseling can help bring the individuals in the family together to help talk about how the addiction is affecting them and figure out strategies to overcome it and support the addict. This could be in the form of intervention, ongoing counseling, or even some time using rehab services. 

Family trauma. Traumatic experiences can occur at any time. Often, they affect an individual, but they can also impact the family as a whole, as well as the people within it. For example, a death of a key family member will have an effect on every single person, but it could also change the way that the family relates to one another in a group setting. Alternatively, a family member going to prison could completely alter the family dynamic, with others stepping into unfamiliar roles and affecting the status quo. Whatever trauma your family has experienced, your counselor can help your family to understand what’s happened and why, and support you as you adjust to life after the event. 

Grudge holding. Holding a grudge may not sound serious, but if someone chooses to retain their animosity towards someone in the family over an event for a prolonged period of time, it can start to have a significant effect on all relationships within the unit. Grudges build anger, resentment, and contempt, and these can lead to unnecessary sniping, arguments, and a bad atmosphere that affects everyone within the family. Long family feuds are often the result of a grudge that has been held so long that nobody even remembers what the initial argument was about. And all too often that initial disagreement was over something fairly trivial that could have been resolved if they had sought intervention earlier. 

Family counseling can help to uncover the cause of long-held grudges, provide a safe, neutral space for everyone to express their opinions, and provide guidance to resolve the conflicts so that the family can move forward.

To learn more about family counseling, visit Comprehensive Counseling Services, LLC in Tallahassee, Florida. Call (850) 688-2244 today to find out how we can help.