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What Are the Different Types of Family Therapy Certification?

Lori Kilchermann
Lori Kilchermann

There are many types of family therapy certification, from marriage counseling to substance abuse and eating disorders. Commonly requiring a master's degree or higher to practice, family therapy certification is often focused on any of a wide range of disorder topics. The therapy strives to mend the nuclear family into a cognitive and cohesive social unit. Including mood disorders, psychotic and behavioral disorders, family therapy certification is typically practiced in both individual and group sessions.

Family counseling is commonly sought as a means to end problems and reconnect a family's sense of togetherness. Miscommunication and anger issues are often a large component of a family's inability to see eye to eye with each other. Many types of family therapy certification focus the attention on a particular aspect of a family's difficulties and explores the many aspects of an individual disorder and its effect on the different family members. By addressing the realities of the disorder as the individual family members view it, the therapist is usually able to make headway in repairing the family trust with each other.

Some family therapists specialize in anger management.
Some family therapists specialize in anger management.

Family therapy certification is available for substance abuse therapy. In some families, substance abuse issues with at least one or more family members make uo the focal point of problems. Communication therapy is often combined with the substance abuse therapy in an effort to allow the family members to express their innermost feelings concerning the problematic issues at hand. Another type of specilaized family therapy certification is anger management. This type of therapy addresses the key component to most problems — anger — and the way it is expressed in response to other family issues and problems.

Another component of some family counseling sessions is anger management. Frustrations with the lack of cohesiveness in the family unit are commonly expressed as anger from children and spouses. When a family member attempts to help another and the help is seemingly refused, anger is the typical response. This type of family therapy certification is commonly expressed in individual counseling sessions where a family member is allowed to express feelings truthfully without fear of negative consequence.

Some of the most effective family therapists have some mental health certification which aids in the identification of psychological issues with family members. When a psychological disorder exists, no amount of therapy will typically be successful until the disorder is diagnosed, accepted and treated. Once medicated or otherwise treated, many of the underlying reasons for the family's problems can often be addressed and solved through group therapy sessions.

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    • Some family therapists specialize in anger management.
      By: Thomas Perkins
      Some family therapists specialize in anger management.