Therapy Guide: Dysfunctional Family Traits

Every family has some dysfunction, but when dysfunction gets out of control, you may want to get the help of a therapist. A therapist can help you identify dysfunctional patterns in your family and work through them.

Here are some ways to bring up family dysfunction with a therapist:

• “My childhood was really chaotic, and my house had a lot of dysfunction. I want to make sure I don’t repeat those patterns.”
• “Our family is going through a rough patch, and I want to figure out what we’re doing wrong.”
• “My parents were addicted to drugs and always disappearing. I want to understand how that impacted me.”
• “I feel like I can’t stop the dysfunctional patterns in my family even though I’m trying so hard to.”
• “My adult child said our family is very dysfunctional and he doesn’t want to be around us. I want to work on this.”