Counseling for Families

We use Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (“EFFT") to help families reduce conflict, build connection and solve relationship problems.

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HopeTree’s family counseling offices

Collaborative

Together, the family members and therapist are looking for negative patterns to coral and positive interactional patterns to become more robust

Focused on connection

EFFCT focusus on building a family members connections, leading to less conflict and better communication.

Grounded in research

EFFT is supported by research, not only in its efficacy but also in its low recitivism rate.

“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together."

-Erma Bombeck

The relationship is the client

At HopeTree, we see our client as the family members' relationship. Therefore, we don’t take sides. We assume you are in our office because there are multiple sides to a story and all family members want the relationship to work…and that means you all feel connected when treatment is complete. So while it’s common that one family member is initiating the process, we support the goals of all members included in the process.

Our approach

We use Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (“EFFT”) to help our family clients. There are so many possible entry points to begin the process of healing. So many that it be chaotic and unproductive without a plan or approach. EFFT provides both. The plan consists of three stages: Stage 1 addresses reactivity, Stage 2 addresses closeness and Stage 3 harnesses the first two stages to then address old topics from a new vantage point (without the reactivity and with the closeness) often resulting in creating solutions. Research shows a low recitivisim rate with the EFCT approach.

Helpful for families who:

Struggle to get out of patterns of conflict.

Are in a family business together.

Want to heal the relationship from past traumas.

Are having difficulties with an in-law.

Are experiencing big life changes like new grandbabies or moving.

Are in conflict over an upcoming or past event.

Are struggling to adjust after the death of a family member.

suffer from past, unresolved wounds in the relationhship.

Get stuck and are unable to resolver certain topics

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(615) 538-0636

3326 Aspen Grove Dr.
Suite 275
Franklin, TN 37067

© 2026 HopeTree Counseling, LLC

A Family Member Won’t Attend

Sometimes family members are hesitant to come to counseling because they fear it will be about blaming them, that counseling is just talking and therefore not worth the money, or that the unhappiness in the relationship is an individual's problem and therefore only the family member with the complaint needs the counseling. It is helpful to clarify what counseling is and how it can help. Even reluctant family members will acknowledge the relationship isn't all it could be and that they aren't happy with how things have turned out. Not only that, all family members deserve representation in the counseling sessions. If one family member doesn’t attend, their side won’t be shared with the therapist.

HopeTree therapists approach counseling from a systemic perspective. That means that when they do family counseling, they view the client as the family member's relationship. They are not looking for which individual is to blame. They are looking for patterns in the relationship that prevent closeness and connection. Therefore, the conversations have direction and purpose. They direct a process where all involved, together, figure out what has happened to prevent the closeness, how to heal from past hurts and how to create a relationship you all want. It is a very collaborative process.

If a family member is hesitant to come to counseling, it’s important you are very direct with them about how serious you view your relationship problems and how much your goal is to have a good relationship with them. Don’t wait until bitterness and resentment destroy all desire you have to work on the relationship. If your family member has concerns or questions about the therapist or counseling process, they are encouraged to call HopeTree directly. Our therapists are more than happy to speak with prospective clients and answer any of their questions.