The Within and Between

Often I get asked what makes Marriage and Family Therapy different than other forms of therapy.  Perhaps the best way to understand how a Marriage and Family Therapist looks at a situation is to say that we are looking at what is both within a person and between people. It is a view that we humans are complex beings; we are physical, emotional, intellectual,  relational and spiritual. Each part of us interacts, and no part fully explains who we are.  

What a delightfully complicated reality.  That is the WITHIN.

And now mix that with all the dynamics of relating to each other. Relationships such as marriage, parenting, extended family roles, professional roles and friendships, ALL involve the complex world of each person's WITHIN interacting with another person's WITHIN. What happens as we interact with each other is the BETWEEN.

As a  Marriage and Family Therapist, I choose to be very respectful of this complexity and I'm curious about how the many parts of the system impact one another.  Change happens both WITHIN and BETWEEN. Sometimes changes in a relational conflict will make the world of difference in the emotional state of the individual. Sometimes an individual facing fears or old hurts gives courage to shift relational dynamics. 

The WITHIN and BETWEEN.  It is were change is possible. It is were healing and growth happen.