There is no doubt that the most important social unit that every human being will know is their familial one. The family unit sticks with individuals their whole lives and helps them learn more about their world. Families prepare people to enter society, teach them important values and skills, and support them throughout childhood and beyond. Families are precious to every human– that is why family service centres in Singapore play an important role.

Every child deserves a loving and happy home to grow up in. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. Some children may not receive the care that promotes their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. In today’s world, kids can experience many types of familial units. They can have either a positive or negative impact on children’s personal growth.

How family dynamics affect people

Every child deserves the proper emotional and financial support to become independent. Families will be their main providers until they are stable enough to look after themselves. Because families serve as the foundation for the children, issues within the family have a lasting impact on children. They might serve as barriers that inhibit a child’s growth.

Family issues range from minor ones like disagreements between family members to major ones like abuse or violence. Before it gets to that point, family heads may want to consider family therapy in Singapore to improve relations. Counselling and other therapy types are proven to address common problems. If left alone, rifts may widen between members and affect not only the parents but young children’s lives.

These are not the only ways that families can experience issues. When most people think of families, they imagine traditional nuclear family units with a mother, father, and kids. Oftentimes, many children’s family situations are not as clear-cut as this. They may grow up in unconventional and atypical families, and this may heavily impact their personal life and experiences.

Unconventional family units include step families, adoptive or foster families, single-parent families, and more. Some families have guardians who are not biological parents. These family types usually experience hardships that typical nuclear families do not. Thus, the emotional needs and memories of children in these families may not reflect the typical experiences of other children.

Guardians of kids growing up in other family structures have to work harder to meet children’s needs and empower them in various ways. If they encounter events that they cannot solve by themselves, they are better off consulting a professional to help them.

Types of family therapy

Issues such as marital abuse and women empowerment in Singapore sound like abstract concepts. They appear as if they should not affect family units. However, these issues are most prevalent in unstable family units. Both children and parents are affected by serious familial issues.

A family’s last-ditch option might be to seek the assistance of a third party to help them through their situation. Family therapy aims to mend family relationships, resolve communication issues, and facilitate communication between members. A family therapist is usually a psychologist or licensed therapist who knows the intricacies of intimate relationships.

The goal of family therapy is simple– to improve relations within the family. They provide another point of view for solving disagreements and approach special family situations differently. The result should be a stable and healthy home environment.

Here are a few types of family therapy that can address your issues.

1) Psychoeducation

A family needs to stay up to date with mental health education and awareness because of rising instances of mental conditions such as depression and anxiety. A type of family therapy in Singapore is called psychoeducation, and it aims to help families become a support system for family members struggling with these conditions.

2) Communication theory

Conflict resolution is key to many family issues. Many family therapists and professionals believe that open communication is key to strengthening family relationships. This type of therapy focuses on improving the way a family communicates. Therapists help members pursue new strategies and hone skills for healthy and open communication.

3) Narrative family therapy

Everyone has a story to tell about their family experiences. Even individuals who belong to the same family unit might have vastly different perspectives on the same event. Narrative therapy treats everyone as their storyteller and encourages people to look at issues objectively or through other people’s eyes. The new insight can help others realise other points of view that they might not consider otherwise.

4) Functional family therapy

Serious or traumatic events within the family can cause huge rifts between relatives. Functional family therapy is a short-term treatment usually utilised on younger family members struggling with substance abuse and other behaviours. Step families, adoptive families, foster families, and even conventional nuclear families struggle with these issues.

5) Structural family therapy

Any session that utilises structural family therapy will focus on the stability of a family unit. It is concerned with the ways individuals interact with others, and how it affects the energy between people. Family therapists will scrutinise the relationship between spouses, children, parents, and siblings. They notify where families can improve them. Families need clear hierarchies and boundaries, and when these two are not respected, many issues follow.

6) Systemic family therapy

Systemic family therapy focuses on the beliefs and preconceptions of individuals within the family and the changes in behaviour that they may bring. A systemic family therapist knows this and provides solutions that consider these beliefs. With systemic therapy, families can learn to overcome their biases and help their family.

PPIS is an organisation that helps individuals, specifically women and their families, through difficult times in their lives. If you are interested in helping to address family issues, look for volunteering opportunities in Singapore by navigating to their website.