Family Counselling and Therapy in Calgary

Family counselling and therapy is often delayed longer than it should be, as parents struggle to find solutions without seeking professional help.

Raising a family can be very challenging, especially in today's world, and with responsibilities constantly piling up it can seem impossible to even keep up. Making things even more difficult, today's households are often a quite different "look" than they were in the past. Today many homes may have two working parents (instead of one), stepfamily dynamics, or very commonly these days — single-parent homes. All of these situations bring a unique set of challenges to deal with, but can often link back to a very consistent theme. Breakdown of communication is the core of many family issues, and regardless of the overall dynamics, it is very difficult to solve problems if the true source of the problem doesn't reveal itself. Offering family counselling and therapy in Calgary for more than 35 years, Terry Penner can help your family connect on a deeper level and work productively towards working through any problems you are having.

Family therapy can provide an excellent opportunity to re-open communication channels amongst everyone in your household, and reveal feelings and perspectives that have likely been misunderstood in the past. With his extensive experience in the family counselling field, Terry Penner can help your family to communicate more effectively and re-connect as a family unit.

Family Counsellor in Calgary

Working as a family counsellor in Calgary since 1990, Terry Penner has been involved in some very interesting situations. Family issues such as children not accepting new stepparents (or vice versa), children coping with divorce, or families attempting to deal with a family member with addiction issues are some of the common reasons people seek out counselling with Terry.

Often the new stepparent attempts to “parent” too quickly before relationships are developed or roles clarified. Family counselling sessions can provide a neutral space for everyone to be heard before moving on to the adaptive changes required that meet everyone’s needs.

Terry has also worked extensively with families where one member has a substance abuse or addiction problem. Parents are often at a loss as to what to do with their teenage daughter or son who is involved in street drugs or alcohol. The first step is to get the parents on the same page with each as to how they view the problem. Parents are then supported in providing interventions/boundaries that will make a difference. Individual sessions are also arranged to specifically address the problem with the family member of concern. Follow up family sessions are suggested to ensure that progress is being maintained and that all family members are confident the necessary changes are occurring.

Families who have had one or both parents with substance abuse or addiction problems can also benefit from family counselling. The repercussions of addiction vary greatly in families but often families adapt by attempting to put up a brave front to the world, that everything is ok at home, but pay the price inside of the home. For example, if one parent has or is developing a substance abuse pattern they will begin to negatively influence both the marriage as well as their ability to parent effectively. The marriage suffers as the drinking spouse is often inappropriately expressing negative emotion or arguing with their partner in front of the children. The other partner either retreats or somehow tries to compensate by falling into adaptive behaviours that are an attempt to somehow just try to “keep the lid on”. Children as well also can begin to develop adaptive roles in response to substance abuse. For example, a child can try to keep “mom or dad happy” by being a perfect child with little or any demands. Internally, however, the child is learning to shut out anger, sadness, worry etc, in order to not be a burden to their parents. Family counselling addresses not only the substance abuse and required changes needed but equally importantly the various repercussions and adaptations made by other family members.

Often the most difficult situations in life are the ones that can positively impact us the most. But this isn't always clear at the beginning! Some of the time we truly feel like the world has come to an end, and there's really no point in moving forward. Whether you are in this position from the perspective of a parent or a child, family counselling can successfully turn things around. Often, the turnaround happens much faster than you would think is even possible. Guidance from experienced therapists and therapists can truly make the difference. Often our visitors tell us (in a surprisingly short period of time) how much better they feel about their situation.

Family Therapy in Calgary

Everybody has bad days from time to time, and the same is true for families. However, when the bad days outnumber the good days, it may be time to seek professional counselling. A lot of people do not give sufficient attention to problems within a family, and this can lead to serious problems for everyone in the future. Unnecessary stress, tension and confrontation within a family can only lead to trouble down the road. Family therapy, even for just a few sessions, can often improve things quickly.

Professional therapist and licensed family therapist Terry Penner has been helping Calgary families deal with their family issues since 1990. Having worked on everything from alcoholic parents or drug abuse with teens, to entire families coping with an affair, Terry has worked with an incredibly diverse set of circumstances.

The choice to begin family therapy is rarely an easy choice. Frequently our visitors will admit that they were feeling embarrassed about the situation or even felt like they were bad parents so it was "their fault". Raising a family is very challenging, and rarely does everything go as planned. It takes maturity to make these tough decisions, and the ability to "step up to the plate" and admit that you may need some professional help, is an excellent step towards improving your family's relationship.

Family therapy doesn't always require months of regular visits to a therapist. Sometimes a few sessions are more than enough to start steering things back in the right direction. Other times, depending on the complexity of your situation, it may be recommended that your family visits us on a regular basis to help turn things around.

If you are considering attending family therapy, please Contact Terry Penner Today for a free phone consultation.

Parenting Stepchildren and Blending Families

Adjusting properly with Blended Families and Adjusting to Stepchildren can often be tougher than it looks.

Connect with Terry Today