Applied Behavioral Science’s Individual and family counseling programs provide behavioral health, mental health, counseling and psychotherapy services specialized for adults, adolescents and children age 13 and up. ABS has facilities in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens, New York (NY, NYC). Psychotherapeutic interventions are available to treat most mental and behavioral health related issues including anxiety, depression, life adjustments bereavement and other mood, behavioral, addictive, eating and family distressing disorders. Emphasis is placed on supportive cognitive behavioral change and strengths development for human betterment.

New York State Licensed mental health care professionals including New York Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Board Certified Psychiatrists and Medical Doctors specializing in individual and family practice provide services. Education and needed referrals can be made to affiliate professionals to assess the need for psychotropic medication and its monitoring as well as primary treatment for health concerns.

In addition to individual and family therapy support groups are available on an ongoing bases.

Given the impact our families have on our lives, it is understandable that difficulties we experience with them can interfere with our functioning well and feeling positive about ourselves. Learning how to recognize and understand our patterns of relating to others can help us to more effectively interact with others.

When Is Help Needed?

The following are examples of when therapy can be helpful in dealing with family problems:

• frequent arguing with parents and/or siblings without reaching a positive resolution
• feeling distant from family members
• receiving negative responses from family members when you attempt to assert your own needs and desires
• experiencing significant losses or traumas within the context of your family
• Wanting to explore the impact your family has had on your own sense of identity.

What Can You Do?

At the core of many family problems is anxiety. Anxiety is a common emotion. It is characterized by uneasy thoughts and apprehensions about possible future misfortunes or past events. Very mild anxiety can sometimes be helpful, energizing people to complete tasks and be more productive.

When Anxiety Becomes Problematic:

Anxiety is a normal part of life. Sometimes, however, it becomes so intense and pervasive that it interferes with normal functioning. When this happens, professional counseling is needed. Indications that anxiety has become a problem include the following:

• excessive tension or worry, lasting more days than not for six months or more
• difficulty controlling the anxiety
• restlessness
• becoming easily fatigued
• difficulties concentrating
• irritability
• muscle tension (possibly with headaches or muscle pain)
• difficulty falling asleep or remaining asleep
• The anxiety interferes with functioning, such as at school or in relationships.

How Can Counseling at Applied Behavioral Sciences and Therapy Help?

There are both psychological and medical interventions that can alleviate the frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms. Talking with a trained professional provides you the opportunity to confidentially explore and process your feelings in a safe environment. This usually assists you to decide on healthy life changes and courses of action.

Almost all couples experience periodic problems as a normal part of being involved in an intimate relationship. These difficulties sometimes encourage the couple to talk more and grow closer as they work through the problems. However, at other times the problems encountered become too intense and additional help is useful.

When Is Help Needed?

The following signs may indicate a need to seek help from a professional therapist:

• arguing about the same issues over and over and seldom or never having a sense of resolving the problem
• feeling distant from each other
• frequently saying and doing hurtful things to each other
• unpleasant times together seem to outnumber the positive ones
• The negative moments together are usually more intense than the positive ones.
• feeling like other people or situations are interfering with your relationship
• Not feeling listened to and respected.

How Can Therapy at Applied Behavioral Sciences Help?

Many couples find it helpful to discuss their problems with a trained therapist. Therapy can provide a safe and neutral place for couples to explore and process their feelings toward each other and about their relationship. A professional therapist can help couples learn to communicate with each other more effectively. Couples have an opportunity to learn and practice new skills in session while the therapist observes and provides helpful feedback.

Although the experience of being a parent is often a joyful one, this joy inevitably coexists with stress due to the high demands placed on your time and energy. This stress can be further complicated by other factors, such as being a single parent, creating a situation where the tasks of parenting can become overwhelming. Talking with a professional therapist can help alleviate some of the stress associated with childrearing. The purpose of therapy is to reduce that stress and improve the relationship between parent and child.

When Help Is Needed?

The following are indications that professional therapy intervention may be useful:

• there are more unpleasant than positive interactions
• feeling like your children are running your home
• feeling distant or angry with your children much of the time
• children are not listening and obeying house rules
• children are being disrespectful
• children are behaving in an irresponsible manner
• having difficulty dealing with temper tantrums
• parent feeling out of control
• Confusion about what is appropriate discipline and reasonable expectations.
  

Meeting with a professional therapist provides you with an opportunity to sort out for yourself what style of parenting you want to use. The therapist can help you identify skills you already possess and to learn more effective discipline methods. Participating in therapy can help you communicate more effectively with your child. It can help you understand your child and your child's capabilities better. You will have the opportunity to practice newly learned skills in session with your child and receive helpful feedback from the therapist. The therapist will aid you in identifying available support systems and making use of these resources. Most importantly, therapy can help promote a healthier, more positive relationship between parent and child.

Problem-solving One of the keys to successful familyfunctioning is the family's ability to solve problems. All families have problems to deal with. However, research indicates that competent families solve problems as they arise; whereas, families that avoid problem-solving, or seem incapable of dealing with many of their problems have more difficulties.

Types of Family Problems or Issues

Problem-solving is the family's ability to resolve problems on a level that maintains effective family functioning. Family problems come in all shapes and sizes. Some problems involve everyday decisions about money or transporting the children to and from school. These are called instrumental problems.

Other problems may be concerned with a family member's feelings and emotions and are called affective issues. Some problems may involve both. For example, getting a child to day care for the first time may require dealing with instrumental issues regarding transportation and affective issues regarding the child's fear of being left at a strange place for the first time.

The Problem-solving Process

Families who successfully and quickly resolve problems have developed skills to manage their difficulties. They are aware of the steps in the problem-solving process and they consistently implement them to resolve problems. Problem-solving is a process skill that, like other skills, can be learned by the family. The following six steps will assist you in establishing a problem-solving process in your family.

1. Problem Identification and Agreement

The first step in the problem-solving process is problem identification. Knowing the real problem or issue is half the battle. Although this may seem like a simple first step, many families have difficulty with it. Many families tend to blame someone in the family for the problem. Instead, families need to define and agree on what type of problem they are dealing with. For example, is it an instrumental issue related to how the family accomplishes a task, or is it an affective (feeling and emotions) issue? In some cases it may be both.

Families may identify the instrumental problem but miss the affective side and wonder why the issue wasn't resolved. A family member may feel his/her feelings were not heard or addressed and will not agree to go along with the solution until the hurt feelings are dealt with. Therefore, families must practice problem identification and agreement as the first step in problem-solving.

1. Creating Options and Alternatives

The second step in the problem-solving process is creating options. By brainstorming, the family generates options or alternatives surrounding the identified problem. What are some things the family or family members can do to resolve the issue? What are some of the possible solutions to the problem? Make a list of your alternatives.

Encourage brainstorming without evaluating the ideas until many options are on the table. The creative options step leads to effective solutions to problems.

Options should take into account both instrumental and emotional issues and should include all family members who are affected by the issue.

1. Evaluate Alternatives

Step three is evaluating the alternatives the family has generated. Ask what your family thinks of each of the options. Each family member should give his/her opinion of the idea. Eliminate the alternatives that the family is unwilling to try. The goal is to find an option that each family member will agree to consider. Next, decide whether or not the family has the resources to carry out the alternative.

The goal is to find an alternative that each family member will agree to consider.

1. Choose A Solution

Once you have evaluated all the alternatives, decide as a family which idea or ideas you are willing to follow. This is known as the action plan. The action plan includes what the family is going to do, which family member is going to do it, and when it will be done. Once you have chosen a solution, write down a summary of it. This will help your family remember what the plan is supposed to do.

Putting the plan in writing enables everyone to better understand the plan and their part in resolving the problem or issue. A written plan is also helpful for monitoring your family’s solution, which is the next step in the problem-solving process.

1. Monitoring the Solution

Monitoring the solution is critical to the problem-solving process. By monitoring the action plan, your family can keep track of their progress. This will remind you of what the family decided to do, which family member is going to do it, and when it will be done.

1. Evaluating the Success of the Plan

The final stage in the problem-solving process is to evaluate the success of the family action plan. This stage involves reviewing what happened in order to learn from the situation. The review helps the family to make adjustments to the plan and to evaluate what worked and what didn't.

Parents who teach problem-solving skills to their children promote resiliency in their children.

Problem-solving is a key to successful family functioning. Research indicates that families who practice problem-solving techniques are more likely to pass this skill on to their children.

Successful Healthy families periodically take inventory of their strengths and weaknesses and take steps to improve their home and family environment. Isn’t it time your family took an inventory of how well it is doing?

For more detailed information regarding family functioning or to schedule an appointment to meet a behavioral health specialist please call Applied Behavioral Sciences.