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What Happens at a Family Counseling Center?

Tiffany Manley
Tiffany Manley

A family counseling center is a facility where families and individuals can get counseling and assistance with a variety of situations that affect the family unit as a whole. The types of counseling offered at a family counseling center might include family, marital and substance abuse counseling as well as trauma therapy. In addition to therapy, a family counseling center might also offer services such as housing assistance, home evaluations for custody or adoption cases and programs geared toward prevention of things such as pregnancy or drug use in young people.

During initial contact with a family counseling center, an individual will detail the specific problems that he or she is having, how they affect the family and what he or she hopes the outcome of the counseling session will be. Staff members are trained to be compassionate, to listen and to know what type of information they must obtain to extend services to the individual and his or her family. The staff will explain any costs associated with therapy, payment options and scheduling, and they will make recommendations for other services if they are not able to help with a specific situation at their facility.

Counselors in a family life center can help families deal work through many different issues.
Counselors in a family life center can help families deal work through many different issues.

Family and marital therapy are two common types of therapy offered at a family counseling center. A family going through divorce, remarriage, death or other circumstances might find that they need counseling services to ease the transition. If a husband and wife are experiencing difficulty in their marriage, family counseling centers might provide counseling services to help them work through these issues.

Couples having difficulty with their marriage may find relief at a family counseling center.
Couples having difficulty with their marriage may find relief at a family counseling center.

Substance abuse services are another type of counseling or therapy that usually is offered at a family counseling center. Some centers might not provide medical treatment, but they might offer referrals and help the individual and his or her family work through the situation in conjunction with a medical professional. These services might be split between the children and the adult family members.

Counselors can often teach partners to communicate better with one another.
Counselors can often teach partners to communicate better with one another.

Therapy to handle trauma from violent crimes or other instances might also be offered by a family counseling center. This therapy sometimes involves the whole family and how the family as a whole might move past these issues. Other times, the therapy is provided to the individual who suffered from the instance and his or her family separately.

A variety of other services might also be offered at a family counseling center. Centers might provide housing assistance for individuals who need help locating suitable housing. If a family is trying to adopt or an individual is going through a custody battle, a counseling center might offer home evaluations that have been ordered by the court system. Family counseling centers might also offer community support by providing classes that teach pregnancy prevention and ways to avoid drugs and alcohol.

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    • Counselors in a family life center can help families deal work through many different issues.
      By: Monkey Business
      Counselors in a family life center can help families deal work through many different issues.
    • Couples having difficulty with their marriage may find relief at a family counseling center.
      By: imtmphoto
      Couples having difficulty with their marriage may find relief at a family counseling center.
    • Counselors can often teach partners to communicate better with one another.
      By: Martinan
      Counselors can often teach partners to communicate better with one another.
    • Therapists at family counseling centers often help people cope with family and marital issues.
      By: Rob
      Therapists at family counseling centers often help people cope with family and marital issues.
    • Counselors at a family center might help children work through issues stemming from abuse.
      By: soupstock
      Counselors at a family center might help children work through issues stemming from abuse.