Online Counseling Helps You Accept Your Family
What Is Online Counseling?
Online counseling is a forum where you can receive therapy or counseling from a licensed therapist or mental health professional. You will learn ways to cope with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health issues you're currently dealing with. You can go to online counseling or online therapy as an individual or with your partner if you're interested in couples counseling.
You can also see an online psychologist or online counselor with your family for family counseling. You can learn to accept family dynamics when working with an individual counselor or with a family counselor.
When You Hate Your Parents
When teenagers come of age, they often go into a rebellion. It's not pretty or fun, but they don't like listening to their parents. They tend to yell, "I don't like my family!" If a teen girl is continually talking back to her mother or father, this is an issue that family counseling can address. It's about hearing both sides of the situation. The teen gets to express her feelings, and the parents get to how they feel. Teenage rebellion is difficult for parents to deal with, but it's probably more difficult for the teen to handle.
However, the adolescent usually deals with the rebellion by being angry at their parents, and they don't typically see that their behavior is negatively impacting their parents. They feel that they are being served an injustice, whereas parents try to keep their teenagers safe. They're enforcing curfews, telling them not to text while driving, encouraging them to complete their school work on time, and monitoring what kind of peer group they're in.
Sometimes teenagers rebel because they feel stifled. They want to be around who they want to be around. They don't want their parents interfering with what they're doing. An online family counselor can help in dealing with teenagers. Then counselor will communicate with their parents and be the mediator between the two parties.
When Your Teen Is Out Of Control
From the parents' perspective, they are trying to keep their teens out of trouble. Teenagers are at the stage in life where they want to explore and learn about themselves and the world around them. It can be overwhelming to the parents because they want to them from danger. But they also want to balance that with letting them live their own lives.
There are so many things to mull over as a teenager. You want to make sure that you get good grades in school to get into a good college. Parents want their teens to work hard and socialize with a peer group that will influence them positively. They don't always have control over who their children will be around, but they can do the best they can to make sure that they are around people who will help them grow intellectually and emotionally.
But sometimes, teens don't hang out with the most desirable influences. In an online family counseling session, their teen's behavior may infuriate the parents. Maybe they can't get them to come home at the right curfew time, or perhaps they have been abusing alcohol or even drugs. They want to look out for their child's best interest, but they cannot seem to figure out how to get through to them. It's not because they're not trying.
As A Parent, You Can't Get Through
You can try hard to get through to your teenager, but maybe they don't want to hear from you because they are adamant about ignoring your voice and following the lead of what they want to do. And some teens are out of control. A family counselor can help communicate concerns of the parents to the teen who is rebelling. The teen might be resistant to hearing their parents' problems with their behavior, but the counselor can see both sides and mediate between the teen and their parents.
The online family counselor (who is likely an LMFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) is invested in the teen having normal adolescence but also concerned for their safety as their parents are. The online family counselor has both the parents' and teens' interests at heart. They want to see both perspectives and make sure that each party feels heard.
Understanding Your Family
After the counselor explains the teen's perspective to the parents and vice versa, the family will better understand how each side feels. The family counselor is impartial. They don't take sides; they want to hear all parties, and they must do their job so that there is less discord in the family. The family counselor is on the side of everyone.
They want to see the family grow and have a healthy dynamic rather than resentful of others. Once all family feel understood, the issues will start to get better between the family unit. Resentment will diminish because each feels understood.
Seeing Mom, Dad, Or The Kids Differently From Before
There may be problems between mom and dad that need to be worked out. Once people understand each other better, there's less room for miscommunication. Teens may believe that their parents are ganging upon them. But once they talk out their problems, they might start to see their parents differently.
For example, they might realize that their mom is more sensitive than they once thought. They were so busy rebelling that they didn't notice their mother's sensitivity. The father might ignore their teen's voice. The teenager is frustrated because they feel like no one listens to them when communicating a specific message. Maybe they want their father to see them as mature and responsible. They're tired of being looked at as a child, and they want to have more responsibilities.
It could be an issue in which they're going to take a job where they have to work late at night, and their father views them as a child, so he doesn't want his teen driving late; he's . The father hears his teen for the first time in counseling. He recognizes that they long for acknowledgment as a grown-up, and it can happen because the counselor mediated the situation between teen and dad. Online family counseling is a great place to understand better who we are.
Online Family Counseling Provides Clarity
Lastly, family counseling has two main goals. One is to help mediate conflicts, and the second goal is to help people understand each other better. The family unit can function well if everybody understands who the other people are in the family and can respect everyone's individuality.
Family counseling is an excellent place to work out disagreements that cannot be hashed out at home. No matter how many family meetings you have, sometimes you can't work out substantial disputes in the house. There's nothing wrong with your family if you can't come to a resolution. Sometimes you need a mental health professional's help to get through and figure out how to mediate conflicts.
Whether you have a rebellious teen or an explosive nine-year-old, there are many ways that family counseling can be used to help families come together—search Regain.us for an online counselor who can help you and your family support being a steadfast unit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you accept your parents?
If you're struggling to accept your family or your parents, let yourself process your emotions. It's likely that you love your family very much and want to skip to a place where you accept your family with no hesitations or strong feelings right away, but attempting to force yourself to feel okay when you're not can have the opposite effect. It's also likely that you have divorced parents, and now they want you in blended families, and you're not ready for it. If you push down the feelings you have about your family, you'll likely feel resentment long term instead of processing it so that you can have the optimal relationship with your family. It might be the case that before you're able to accept your family, you'll have to process any pain and hurt that is there that's related to your family or a specific family. When you go through emotional processing surrounding family, you'll likely experience a wide range of emotions, one of which might be guilt. Remember that it's okay to process hurt, pain, and trauma no matter what form it takes. Even the best family friends and so on make mistakes, and your feelings are valid. It doesn't mean that they're bad, nor does it mean that you're bad for feeling hurt. Taking the time to confront these feelings and thoughts, as well as engaging in online family therapy, will help you have healthy, stable relationships with family, friends, or anyone else in your life without any feelings of resentment or pushed down feelings bubbling inside. As scary as it might be to confront how you feel, it can be the key to healthy family relationships or keeping your familial relationships as healthy as they can be for you, whatever that means, given your personal circumstances.
How do I accept someone for who they are?
Whether in the context of family relationships or other types of interpersonal relationships, one thing that it's important to remember is that you can only control your own actions. You can't control your family or their actions, but you can control your own actions and set your own boundaries. Another thing to remember, whether it's related to family friends or romantic partners, is that it will only hurt you to place expectations on someone that they cannot adhere to. You should expect certain things, including safety, stability, and a lack of chaos. If your family doesn't have a dynamic where you can expect these things and their actions tell you that you cannot depend on them, managing your expectations surrounding this person can help you reach acceptance. Acceptance doesn't mean that you'll like the outcome, nor does it mean that it won't hurt. Acceptance also doesn't mean that you need to have this person in your life. Suppose you can keep your family in your life, set boundaries, and put yourself first. Many people need to use extra self-care when they see their family. If you accept your family or family from a distance, that is also okay.
How do you show your family you appreciate them?
There are many ways to show your family, friends, or romantic partners that you appreciate them. Here are some ways to show that you appreciate your family:
- Complete chores for them or run errands for them. This might mean cleaning the home, picking up groceries, or something else.
- Cook for them. It's always pleasant to show appreciation and love through a nice home-cooked meal.
- Tell them. Love languages don't just apply to romantic relationships, and many people have words of affirmation as a love language. Letting your family know that you love your family and appreciate them can be incredibly meaningful.
In showing appreciation for family, you'll feel good about yourself and, often, it'll make their day. In healthy family dynamics, your family will appreciate these gestures. If your family is critical and shows no recognition of your efforts, consider talking about it with a therapist. It isn't your fault and the kind things you do deserve to be recognized.
How do I get my family to accept my boyfriend?
When it comes to relationships, the family can be difficult. One of the primary reasons the family can be challenging when it comes to relations going is that they will have opinions on who you're with. If relationships, family, or other life choices don't mesh with one another, it can be stressful. Particularly, when it comes to relationships, the family of yours are judgemental. You might be wondering what to do and how to solve this problem. First, if your family doesn't accept a new partner, give it some time. They might come around. If a substantial amount of time has passed and your family won't accept your partner for whatever reason, there are ways to navigate the situation. However, they may vary somewhat depending on why your family doesn't accept your partner and other factors. If your family doesn't like your partner and there's a serious reason behind their stance, for example, if your partner puts you in danger, listen to their concerns. Otherwise, know that your family won't always like everyone you date or befriend. In healthy family relationships, your family won't expect that you'll always the same opinion as they do. Set boundaries with your family if they make hurtful remarks about your partner, make sure to spend time with your family in the absence of your partner, and don't be afraid to reach out to a counselor or therapist who can help.
What is a toxic parent?
A toxic parent can take various forms. They might be controlling, highly critical, have extreme emotional reactions (anger, blaming others, etc.), or they may guilt trip you. There may also be codependency or enmeshment going on. A toxic parent may infantilize their adult child, lean on a young child for all of their emotional needs, or engage in other toxic behaviors. As much as you love your family, there are situations where your family won't change. Set boundaries, work to solidify your sense of self, if applicable, and consider reaching out to a counselor or therapist who can support you in the process of navigating or healing from a toxic parent relationship. Families are complicated, and it's possible to love your family while feeling strong emotions regarding things that have happened, whether that's recently or in the past.
How do you accept your family?
What does family acceptance mean?
Why is acceptance in the family important?
How does family create a sense of belonging?
What is acceptance parenting?