I will not use names, to protect my peeps!!! However, I would like to share a success story of a client. This client had taken many steps to get his life in order and was ready to be with his family again. He wanted to work on family dynamics- how to keep the household on the same page, to work together, to run the household in a way that included everyone.
We had a conversation about setting up family meetings once a week. In a family meeting, everyone has a set time that they stop what they are doing and to meet together (in the living room, the kitchen table, etc.) and talk about how the week is going and if the rules or plans previously designed were working or not and what could be done to make it work better. This was also a time, if a family member had an issue with another family member about something, that they could make a safe space to talk and work out a better solution that would work for everyone.
One time, the client was needing time where it was peaceful and quiet to be able to stop and take a breath and center himself. He took the idea of having a family meeting and incorporated a conversation about this need into his family meeting. He returned to the next session with me and informed me that it worked and he decided to implement family meetings on a regular basis; his family is doing great!
Family meetings are a great way to stay on the same page with each other and take time to stop, even if briefly, to check-in with each other.
Blessings!!! Kristina Guerrero, NCC, LPC, LCDC