Family Counselling & Therapy

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” – Sun Tzu, military general, strategist, and philosopher.
Family Impacts Us At Every Stage In Life
Our family influences almost every aspect of our life, from our first moments to our last. Our interactions with our loved ones in the family impact how we grow and develop at different life stages and how we perceive ourselves, others, and the world. This happens at every stage of one’s life, be it as children, youth, adults and even as a senior.
Our family is an important source of support, encouragement, and love. Sometimes that might not be the case for some individuals and families and tension can arise in the family. Family members may sometimes experience difficulties in interpersonal relationships with each other at various stages of family development or when family circumstances change. Such challenges may also manifest in emotional or behavioural issues displayed by certain family members. This creates stress within the family unit – affecting healthy family functioning, couple relationships within the family, and even the mental health of individual family members.
Stages of Family Development
A family unit undergoes changes as it progresses through different stages of family development. As a family unit forms and develop, it tends to go through a few stages. It begins with adults separating emotionally from our own family to be independent to becoming a couple as a new family unit. Subsequent stages then involve parenting children from babies through teenagers, to children growing to be independent adults themselves, and finally retirement or senior years of parents. Each of these stages brings with it its own set of challenges. The stressors faced by individuals, couples, and families varies at different stages of family development. The challenges faced by a family with young children will look different from those of a family with teenagers, and it will also look different from those with middle aged parents where the children have grown to be young adults.
Regardless of the stage of family development, family therapy can help individuals and families navigate the stressful times together to improve the emotional and mental health of the family members while also strengthening the bonds within the family unit.
What is Family Counselling?
The goal of family counselling is to work towards improving the health and functioning of the family. Family therapy and counselling services can be beneficial for many reasons. A counsellor or therapist will work with the family to strengthen the family unit through helping family members grow in mutual understanding, deepen connections, improve communications, resolve conflicts, and address past hurts and unresolved issues.

Situations Where Family Therapy Can Be Valuable
Family therapy and counselling services can be beneficial for many reasons and especially so in particular circumstances. Seeing a counsellor or therapist is recommended in situations where there are additional struggles such as:
- Raising a child with special needs
- Supporting a family member with severe illness or addictions
- Caring for a family member with mental health issues or other conditions such as dementia
- Supporting a family member experiencing a crisis or emotional struggles such as anger, depression, anxiety
- Life-stage related changes or stresses of family members affecting interactions among family members
- Grief and bereavement in situations of loss, such as the loss of a family member
- Trauma in the family
- Divorce, separation, or transition to forming a blended family
- Such challenges may strain the family unit and relationships. Actively taking steps to seek out family therapy and counselling services to help to better manage the trying situations at home can go a long way in improving family functioning and also the mental health and well-being of family members.
How Family Therapy & Counselling Can Be Beneficial
Through our counselling services, individuals and families can be supported in various ways. Benefits of family therapy and counselling include:
- Gaining a deeper understanding of the interactional patterns and dynamics in the family
- Learning more helpful ways of interacting with and supporting each other
- Developing skills and tools to better communicate with each other and to resolve conflicts and interpersonal difficulties within the family
- Deepening bonds and connections within the family
- Experiencing healing and reconciliation from past hurts
- Experiencing personal growth and seeing positive change individually and as a family unit
How Family Counselling and Therapy Brings A Family Closer?
Family counselling and therapy can be an effective way to bring family members closer, especially in those challenging times or when misunderstandings have built up over a long time and family members have difficulties getting along.
One powerful benefit of family counselling is improved communication and mutual understanding. Sometimes, family members struggle to express their feelings and thoughts with each other for a variety of reasons. Feelings of frustration, misunderstanding and conflict may arise and family members grow more distant from each other.
At In Focus, our counsellors will work with the family in creating a compassionate space for everyone to have a voice and also to hear and understand each other more deeply. In the safety of family counselling sessions, family members begin to also develop more empathy towards each other. The family will experience and also learn to develop more helpful ways of communicating with each other with empathy and mutual respect . This leads to more meaningful conversations and a stronger sense of connection and togetherness.
Through this process, families also learn how to manage conflicts and challenges in a constructive manner. Instead of letting disagreements create distance, families learn how to approach them differently and in a manner that is both helpful to the family’s development as well as empowering for individual members within the family unit.
Ultimately, family counselling is about healing and growth. It is an opportunity to strengthen the family unit and the bonds between members and face life’s challenges together as a family with a renewed sense of hope.
Our Family Therapy & Counselling Approach
At In Focus, we provide families with a constructive and safe space for those difficult but highly necessary conversations among family members. The conversations are facilitated by a professional counsellor to help family members, including children, youth, adults, and the seniors, better understand the dynamics within the family and to chart the way forward together.
Our dedicated team of counsellors and therapists at In Focus can help individuals, couples and families deal with a range of different issues. Be it caregiving adjustments and stress, relocation, grief and loss, interpersonal difficulties, conflicts among family members, past hurts and trauma, or other stressors or mental health concerns arising at the different stages of the family life cycle, our counsellors and therapists will be able to work with your loved ones and you through them.
Informed by a combination of approaches like Choice Theory Reality Therapy (CTRT), Emotion-focused Therapy (EFT) or Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), Systemic Therapy and other therapeutic approaches, our counsellors and therapists are here to help your family build stronger connections and bonds as well as foster a deeper sense of understanding and intimacy amidst the challenges a family may be facing. There will be a mixture of individual and group sessions that will be recommended by your counsellor or therapist based on professional skills and experiences. Of importance is our belief that counselling and therapy is collaborative work. Your counsellor or therapist will thus work closely with you towards the family’s goals and needs. Where it is suitable and helpful, marriage or relationship counselling and individual counselling will be recommended and offered to complement the therapy work done at family sessions.
Contact us today to find out about family counselling, relationship counselling or individual counselling to know how we can support your family members and you in this season of your family life. Embarking on this journey will not only help to strengthen the family unit and the family bonds. It will also give your loved ones and yourself the opportunity to learn and to grow towards fulfilling each person’s potential to flourish and thrive in life.
What is the difference between family counselling and family therapy?
The two are similar in that there are areas of overlap in the work. A simple way of understanding how they differ is that Family counselling tends to be more targeted towards current issues and problem-solving oriented in helping family members navigate relationship challenges and improve communication. It is about finding healthier ways to resolve conflicts, understand one another better, and rebuild trust.
Family therapy, on the other hand, often goes deeper into the interactional dynamics and underlying issues within the family. It involves deeper exploration of past experiences in the family relationships, including hurts and struggles that have been unresolved.
Both are valuable and highly interrelated. Our counsellors will work with the family based on what is most appropriate or helpful towards the goals that the family has.
How do I know if family counselling is right for us?
If your family is facing ongoing struggles with communication, recurring conflicts, or difficulty understanding one another, family counselling might be a good option. It’s also beneficial during times of major life changes, such as a move, a loss, or financial strain, which might be affecting family dynamics.
Can family counselling help parents facing parenting challenges, or children facing difficulties communicating with their parents?
Yes, family counselling can provide parents and children with support in improving communication and understanding among themselves to learn to manage and negotiate differences in a manner that builds relationship and fosters mutual respect, safety and trust within the home.
What should I expect during a family counselling session?
Family counselling sessions are a chance for everyone to come together in a safe, respectful space. Everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings openly. Our counsellor will guide the conversation, offering ways for you to improve communication and resolve conflicts. Our counsellors are qualified and experienced in facilitating the conversations and the direction of the sessions depending on your needs and priorities.
How long does family counselling take before we see improvement?
The duration of the journey of family counselling varies. It depends on the context, such as family history, the issues and the intensity of conflicts or struggles. While the counselling sessions are essential part of the process towards improvement, the outcomes also depends on the family’s readiness, commitment to the process and collaborative effort outside of counselling and therapy. At In Focus, our counsellors understand that the process is challenging for many families, but we believe that within the challenges are opportunities for the family to grow in a manner supporting sustained long-term positive change in the family dynamics.
Our counsellors adopt a collaborative approach and will pace with the family in the process. We understand that families may have particular priorities and preferences, and intermittent reviews are part of the process to review how we are working together towards the family’s goals.
ABOUT US
At In Focus, we empathise with our clients as they go through myriad of life’s problems, stresses and challenges which are overwhelming at times. As these happened to us too. The only difference is, it is our profession to help others overcome these life hurdles so as to live life to the fullest.
OUR SERVICES
We have a range of services available for your consideration depending on your needs. You can get in touch with us for coaching services, corporate consultation, professional training, counselling and psychotherapy services. Please visit our services page to see what we offer.
CONTACT US
Phone: +65 8725 9303
Email: enquiry@in-focus.com.sg