Communication that keeps breaking down
Conversations go in circles, someone always shuts down, or the same argument plays on repeat. When talking feels harder than not talking, that is a signal.
Family Counseling
When the whole family needs to find its footing.
Evidence-based family counseling for communication breakdowns, blended family transitions, and patterns that keep repeating.
Let's get you booked.
Enter your info and we'll take you straight to booking. We'll email your link too.
You are all set
Pick whichever feels easier. You can book your appointment now, or call and we can often get you started right away.
When families reach out
Common reasons families come to therapy
You do not need to have everything figured out before calling. Most families reach out because something feels wrong and they want it to be different.
Major life transitions
Divorce, remarriage, co-parenting, relocation, a new sibling. Even welcome changes knock things off balance, and some families need a guide through the shift.
Parent-child tension and disconnection
A teenager who has pulled away, a child acting out, or a parent-child dynamic that feels stuck. Therapy gives everyone a place to be heard without the conversation turning into a conflict.
Blended and stepfamily dynamics
Merging families means navigating new roles, loyalties, and expectations. It takes time and the right support for a blended family to feel like a real one.
Parenting disagreements and consistency gaps
When parents have different approaches, children feel the inconsistency. Therapy helps co-parents get aligned without the kids caught in the middle.
Grief, loss, or a family member in crisis
A death, a serious illness, addiction, or a mental health crisis affects everyone under the same roof. Family therapy creates a shared space to process something no one should carry alone.
How family therapy works
A clear path, from where you are to where you want to be
Family therapy here is never clinical or cold. Every person in the room is treated with equal respect, and your therapist stays neutral so everyone feels safe enough to be honest.
- Start with a free consultationA short, no-pressure call where you can tell us what is going on at home. We answer your questions and help you decide if this is the right approach for your family.
- Your first session, as a familyA 90-minute intake where everyone in the room gets to share their perspective. Your therapist listens without taking sides and starts mapping the patterns.
- Weekly sessions, real progressMost families come weekly. Over time, the conversations inside the room start changing the conversations outside it.
What changes
What becomes possible for your family
Most families do not come to us needing to be fixed. They come needing someone to help them hear each other again.
A home where hard conversations happen
When families learn to talk instead of deflect, something fundamental changes. The walls come down, and the people you live with become people you actually know again.
Patterns that finally break
A lot of family tension is not about the fight you had last Tuesday. It is about something much older. Therapy gives you tools to see those patterns clearly, and to change them.
Connections that outlast the hard seasons
Life will keep bringing difficult things. But families who do this work come out of it closer, not just recovered. That kind of change sticks.
Meet the team
Meet the therapists who can help.
Every therapist at The Shift is handpicked for their clinical skill and lived experience. We do not pair you with whoever is next available.
Founder & Therapist Chess Scott MEd, LPC-Associate
Here for the person underneath the struggle.
AnxietyDepressionTrauma
View Chess's profile
Licensed Therapist Bri Baum MEd, MS, LPC, LCDC
Rooted in research, led by warmth.
Trauma and ResilienceFamily TherapyCouples Therapy
View Bri's profile
Counselor Jessica Haffner MA, LPC-Associate
Therapy as a gift you give yourself.
AnxietyDepressionSelf-Esteem
View Jessica's profile
Counselor Jordan Baca LPC-Associate
Safe space. Real work. No qualifications.
Children and TeensPlay TherapyLGBTQIA+ Affirming
View Jordan's profile
Counselor Melissa Reaux Dismukes LPC-Associate
Feeling like yourself again, from the inside out.
Somatic TherapyEMDRAdults and Neurodivergent Clients
View Melissa's profile
The shift
“Home should be the safest place in the world. We help families find their way back to that.”
Ready to get started
Let's find a better way forward, together.
Book a free consultation and tell us what is going on at home. We'll help you figure out whether family therapy is the right approach and walk you through the next steps.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does the whole family have to come to every session?
Not necessarily. We work with whoever is ready and willing to be in the room. Sometimes one parent comes first and other family members join later. Sometimes the parents attend together and the kids come in separately. We are flexible about who participates and when, and we will talk through what makes the most sense for your specific situation. You do not need everyone on board before you call.
Can family therapy help after divorce or separation?
Yes. We work with families navigating separation and everything that comes after it, including co-parenting situations where two parents are trying to work together for their kids after the relationship has ended. Co-parenting counseling addresses how parents communicate with each other, how to maintain consistency for the children across two households, and how to manage conflict without the kids absorbing it. Divorce affects every member of a family differently, and family therapy gives each person a space to process it while helping the family unit find its footing.
What problems does family therapy help with?
Family therapy fits a wide range of situations: communication that has broken down, a child or teen whose behavior or mood has shifted, grief after a loss, adjustment to divorce or a major life transition, conflict between siblings, tension between a parent and child, family estrangement, and blended family dynamics. If relationships inside your family feel strained, disconnected, or like everyone is just getting through the days without really connecting, that is something we can work on.
How is family therapy different from individual therapy?
Individual therapy focuses on one person's internal experience, patterns, and growth. Family therapy looks at the relationships between people and the dynamics that live in the system itself, not just in any one person. Both have real value, and they are not either/or. Many families find that some members also benefit from individual sessions running alongside family work. We can talk about what combination makes the most sense for your situation.
How long does family therapy usually last?
There is no set number of sessions that applies to everyone. Some families come in with a specific conflict and work through it in a few months. Others choose to continue because the process opens things up that benefit from more time, or because maintaining a regular touchpoint is something the family wants to keep. After the first few sessions, you will have a clearer sense of what you are working through and what a realistic pace looks like. We check in regularly and adjust as the family moves through it.
Do you offer co-parenting counseling?
When co-parenting is part of what a family is navigating, it comes up in the family therapy work and we address it there. If improving communication with your co-parent is the main thing you want to work on, reach out and we will talk through what we can help with and whether that's something we're set up to support.
Do you see blended families or stepfamilies?
Yes. Blended family dynamics come with their own specific terrain: stepparent and stepchild relationships building from scratch, loyalty splits, different expectations across households, and the grief that can live underneath a family even when things look fine on the surface. We work with blended families regularly and understand the complexity involved. You do not have to explain why it is complicated.