MEDICAL FAMILY THERAPY

Medical Family Therapy addresses the interactions between illness/disability, relationships, and stress. Living with serious health issues can cause/increase stress in important areas of one's life, just as living with unhappy relationships and other stresses can negatively impact health.

INDIVIDUALS
I work with individuals to find their own motivation to make healthful lifestyle changes and follow the treatment plans they develop with their healthcare providers. In cases where some symptoms cannot be eliminated, I work with clients to accept their situation, reduce their experience of suffering, find meaning in their lives, recognize potential, and enjoy life.

COUPLES AND FAMILIES
When one person in a family has a chronic illness or disability, it affects all members of the family. I work to help the “patient” find a comfortable balance between taking responsibility for his/her own struggles, communicating needs/fears/difficulties, and effectively asking for help.

I help partners and other family members find a balance between providing needed emotional and practical support without “overdoing it,” and respecting the “patient's” right to make his/her own choices. I also help family members to identify and feel comfortable expressing their own needs and emotions around their experience of their loved one's illness.