Why a Marriage and Family Therapist?

A Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) sounds like they might be limited to helping couples or families facing problems specific to marriage, and indeed this is a focus of our training. However, we are specialized in working from a systemic perspective that looks at both the individual’s impact on the system and the system’s impact on the individual. In therapy, MFT’s focus on patterns within these systems: identifying parts that might be causing friction, and helping make adjustments to ease stress. We are all members of different systems: from our families, communities, workplaces, and cultures.

A way to better understand how systemic thinking works is through the garden analogy. When encouraging growth in a plant, the environment can be crucial to its success. If the environment is shaded with rocky soil, the plant might struggle to reach its full potential. If changes are made and the plant is given the proper tools for development, fostering success is more attainable. Continued maintenance and the daily effort of watering the garden is crucial for continued growth. As MFT’s we look at the environment of the garden as a whole to foster change.

We are a group of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, which means that we have each completed our Masters degree program and over 300 hours of direct therapy with clients.