The family is considered the basic unit of society. Its stability influences the advancement of the society it belongs to. Unfortunately, today’s families are experiencing more and more challenges that affect its integrity, which in effect, threatens the stability of the society.

Families are not created equal. They come in all shapes and sizes, different from each other. Regardless of how unique they are constructed; most families encounter difficulties and face challenges. It is somehow reassuring to know that if your family is going through difficulties and challenges you are not alone.

Challenges Faced by the Modern Family

Today’s families are much different from families in the past. The issues confronting modern families were not on the spectrum before the world became computerized and digital. As the basic unit of the society, families have serious issues and have been undergoing transformations that continuously decrease the bond, integration, and emotional dynamics within the family or household.

Although there are common features across families, there are considerable variations in the kind of issues and protracted problems that negatively influence the way each member functions. Significant among the challenges that rapidly cause disintegration in family life and impact the daily lives of the families include the following:

• Breakdown of Family Relationship – At the rate parents or partners are divorcing or separating, is not uncommon for children to experience living with a single parent, parents’ remarriage or becoming part of a blended family. Relationships between parents, partners and children are often distressing. Children, most especially, are at greater risk for a wide range of emotional and behavioral health issues that can affect various aspects of their life. It is not far fetched for domestic violence to become a regular feature where difficult relationship exists between and among members in the same household.

• Parenting and Family Dynamics – Whereas in the past, when it was in most cases the father who traditionally provided for the family’s financial needs, today both parents are often compelled to work to support the growing demands of the family. Whether one or both spouses are working, the issue in maintaining consistency, routine, boundaries and knowledge around the general welfare of the children may be compromised. Related to this issue is the lack of quality time for parents to spend not only for the children, but also for themselves and each other.

• Emotional and Behavioral Health Issues – Many families have members affected by a range of emotional health issues, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and others. While these issues may be inherent in their genes or rooted in the parents’ own difficult childhoods, the unhealthy emotional well being is often aggravated by the daily stresses and trauma created by poor living conditions and domestic environment.

• Poor Communication – Families without healthy and effective communication do not function well. Common problems associated with family communication include the lack of communication between couples and between parents and children, failure of members to work on and solve problems together, different communication styles, etc. These challenges are often compounded when members begin to withdraw, give up, become frustrated or angry, and start to blame each other. What started as a minor disruption in communication becomes a deep-seated problem that grows worse as each member becomes distant and segregated from each other.

• Education – Some families have difficulties in accessing or sustaining their children’s education. Whether it is due to emotional health issues, learning disabilities, disruptive behavior, or bullying, the absence of an ideal supportive learning environment at home to support the educational needs causes the failure of children to engage in study.

• Illness – When a member is affected by a serious illness or disability, the entire family is affected not only by the disease, but by the entire health care process as well. The health issue can cause strain and increase the stress and anxiety level of the household as members focus their energy on the recovery and care of the sick member. The illness can disrupt the whole family, in terms of what their role is at home, the family’s lifestyle, and overall functioning. When a member becomes ill, the rest of the family assumes a specific responsibility and may be forced to alter their lifestyle as part of the family’s daily functioning.

• Addiction – Whether the addiction involves smoking, substance abuse, alcohol, shopping or gambling, the pattern can fluctuate within the entire household over a period of time. Members may feel myriads of emotions, such as resentment, guilt, pain, shame, or confusion as a loved one tells lies, binges, steals, becomes irritated easily, and turns aggressive while struggling with addiction.

• Death Of A Loved One – Losing a member and grieving is a protracted challenge for families. Although members belong to a single unit, each one bereaves the loss differently from each other. Without a doubt, grieving is painful. The intense heart-breaking anguish feels like a deep connection has been severed, which can sometimes be felt among the whole household.

A Family Under the Pressure of Challenges

Many individuals react to challenges in negative ways. In the same manner, when the challenges besetting a family become serious or out of hand, its members may resort to damaging behaviors. Some may be inclined to engage in substance abuse or isolate themselves as a way of muddling through the difficult feelings. The stress and heightened emotions can also result in some members becoming susceptible to behavioral and emotional health disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

The challenges families face today can lead to struggles in various aspects of life, including work, education, social integration, and self-esteem. Apart from these, there are red flags that indicate when a family is breaking apart from the pressure of challenges being experienced by a member or the entire unit. Some of these signs include:

• Persistent arguments
• Anger and violence
• Avoidance
• Frustration
• Loneliness
• Jealousy
• Spite
• Eating and sleeping problems

The Help to Halt Family Challenges

Families change over time. The needs and concerns of family members continue to change through the years. Often, what previously worked on strengthening the unit in the face of challenges is no longer effective today. Precisely because each member has its own strengths and weaknesses, it can be tricky to tackle the endless challenges lining up at the door.

Although there are family issues that can be easily overcome, there are challenges that seem too overwhelming for members to resolve on their own. These issues can significantly affect the health, stability, development and well being of family members. It may be beneficial to seek family counseling services to confront the challenges that strain your household’s relationships and overall strength.

The independently contracted therapists at Carolina Counseling Services – Cameron, NC, on Hwy 87, near Linden Oaks, understand that families are not the same as before. The families of today are besieged by complex and difficult challenges, thus they should have the assistance they need to transform the issues into productive prospects, so members can become stronger, healthier and happier together.

If your family is challenged by certain issues, counseling can help you and your loved ones to support each other through these difficult times, develop better communication, resolve your differences, reduce conflict, and adjust to transitional changes affecting your family. An independently contracted counselor/therapist will welcome you to CCS – Cameron, NC, on Hwy 87, near Linden Oaks, the place where new beginnings are possible. The right fit professional looks forward to offering a developmental approach to work with you and your family to help you overcome the challenges and improve your prospects as a family.

Call now to schedule your first appointment.

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