Mondie Gonzales
LISW-S | EMDR CertifiedOwner/Founder. 30+ years. Family systems, trauma, first responder families, lifespan. Strongsville + telehealth.
Family Therapy
Family Therapy in Strongsville, Ohio and Cuyahoga County
Family therapy at Oasis Counseling Solutions treats the family as a system rather than focusing on one person as the source of the problem. We work with all family structures — nuclear, blended, single-parent, multigenerational, and LGBTQ+ families — addressing conflict, communication breakdown, parenting disagreements, and the household impact of a member's mental health challenges. In-person sessions in Strongsville, Lakewood, and Chagrin Falls; telehealth available anywhere in Ohio. Free 15-minute consultation for all new families.
What It Is
What Is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is counseling in which multiple family members work with a licensed therapist to improve the relationships and dynamics within their household. Rather than identifying one person as the problem, family therapy examines the system — the patterns, roles, and communication habits that develop between people over time and that sustain both connection and conflict.
Sessions at Oasis Counseling Solutions are structured around what will be most productive at each stage of the work. Some sessions involve the entire family together, focusing on communication and shared dynamics. Others involve parents alone to address parenting alignment, co-parenting logistics, or the impact of an adult's mental health on the household. Still others may focus on one parent and one child to strengthen a specific relationship. The therapist determines the structure based on the family's goals and progress — not a fixed formula.
Family therapy often works best in combination with individual therapy. If a child or teen is also struggling with anxiety, depression, or the effects of trauma, individual sessions alongside family sessions allow each layer to be addressed appropriately. Oasis Counseling Solutions can coordinate both within the same practice, with therapists who communicate clearly about shared goals while maintaining each client's confidentiality. See our teen and child therapy page for more on individual work with young clients.
What We Address
Issues Family Therapy Can Help With
Family therapy at Oasis Counseling Solutions is appropriate for a wide range of presenting concerns — from acute conflict to the slower accumulation of disconnection that builds over years. All family structures and compositions are welcome.
- Parent-child conflict — recurring arguments, authority challenges, boundary breakdowns
- Teen acting out — behavioral changes, risk-taking, school difficulties, withdrawal
- Blended family adjustment — step-parent dynamics, sibling conflict, household integration
- Divorce and co-parenting — shared custody logistics, conflict between households, child adjustment
- A family member's mental health affecting the household — depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma
- Grief and loss — death of a family member, miscarriage, estrangement, or other significant loss
- Communication breakdown — conversations that consistently escalate or go unresolved
- Rebuilding after a family crisis — addiction recovery, infidelity, incarceration, or a traumatic event
- Major transitions — relocation, a new child, significant illness, retirement, or empty nest
Our Approach
How We Approach Family Therapy
Oasis Counseling Solutions therapists approach family work through a family systems lens — understanding that every individual's behavior makes sense within the context of the relationships around them. What looks like one person's problem is almost always a pattern that involves the whole system. Changing the system changes the outcomes for everyone in it.
The therapist's role in family sessions is that of a neutral guide, not a mediator who sides with the parent or the child, not an arbiter who decides who is right. Every family member deserves to feel heard in the room. The therapist facilitates the conversations that cannot otherwise happen productively at home, introduces structure to communication that has become chaotic or shut down, and identifies the patterns that are sustaining the conflict or disconnection.
Depending on the family's situation, the work may draw on trauma-informed approaches to address the impact of past experiences on current dynamics, CBT-based skill-building to develop new communication habits, or strengths-based practice to build on what the family already does well. The goal is not for families to leave therapy needing therapy to function — it is to develop the tools to continue without it.
Your Therapists
Family Therapy Specialists at Oasis
Three therapists at Oasis Counseling Solutions specialize in family systems work. Meet all six therapists.
Erin Feldman
LSW20+ years. CBT, DBT, family systems theory. Children through adults. Parent-child conflict, household behavioral dynamics.
Katharine Bussert
LSWACT, TF-CBT, Mindful Self-Compassion. Family work with children and teens. Therapy dog Winnie available in Strongsville.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions About Family Therapy
What is family therapy?
Family therapy is counseling in which multiple family members work with a licensed therapist to improve communication, resolve conflict, and strengthen relationships. It treats the family system rather than focusing on one person as the problem. Sessions may involve the full family, parents only, or a parent with one child, depending on what the therapist determines will be most productive at each stage of the work.
When should a family start therapy?
If your family is experiencing ongoing conflict, communication breakdown, a child acting out, or difficulty adjusting to a major change, therapy can help. Starting earlier consistently leads to better outcomes. You do not need to wait for a crisis. If the household is functioning but you want to strengthen communication and connection before issues escalate, family therapy is appropriate for that stage as well.
Does the whole family attend every session?
Not always. Session structure is determined by what will be most productive at each stage of the work. Some sessions involve the entire family. Others may include parents only, to address co-parenting alignment or parenting strategy without the children present. Others may focus on a specific parent-child relationship. The therapist will discuss the session structure and rationale with the family as the work progresses.
What issues does family therapy address?
Family therapy at Oasis Counseling Solutions addresses parent-child conflict, teen acting out, blended family adjustment, divorce and co-parenting challenges, a family member's mental health affecting the household, grief and loss, chronic communication breakdown, rebuilding after a family crisis or addiction, and major life transitions. All family structures are welcome, including blended, single-parent, multigenerational, and LGBTQ+ families.
How is family therapy different from individual therapy?
Individual therapy focuses on one person's internal experience. Family therapy focuses on the relationships and dynamics between family members. Both are valuable and frequently work best in combination. Many families at Oasis Counseling Solutions have a child in individual sessions while also participating in family therapy together, with each approach addressing a different layer of the same situation. Learn more about individual therapy.
Fees & Insurance
Family Therapy Rates
$145
Per session — family therapy, in-person and telehealth
Sliding scale available for eligible clients. Most clients pay significantly less with insurance. Oasis Counseling Solutions accepts Medicaid, Medicare, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, CareSource, Buckeye, Medical Mutual, Humana, and 20+ plans total. Coverage for family therapy varies by plan — contact us to verify your specific benefits before your first appointment.