A parent and child sitting together, talking

What we treat

Family Therapy in Natick, MA

Family counseling at Aurora Counseling Associates supports families through parenting conflict, divorce and blended-family transitions, neurodivergent family support, addiction and recovery in a household, and the kind of teen-parent rupture that can feel like the floor has fallen out from under everyone. We see families in person at our Natick office and via telehealth for clients located in Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan, Florida, or Connecticut.

Book a free 15-minute consult Meet our clinicians

Who family counseling is for

Aurora has always worked from the belief that healing often happens within relationships and systems, not in isolation. That is the orientation behind family work here.

Families come to us at different points. Some are in active crisis: a teenager has stopped going to school, a child's behavior is overwhelming the parents, a divorce has reshaped a co-parenting relationship that was already strained. Some come at the beginning of a transition that has not become a crisis yet, knowing the family will need support to navigate it well. Some come because one member of the family is doing individual work and the family unit also needs attention.

We work with families across a wide range of situations:

Two-parent households navigating parenting differences or unresolved couple conflict that is showing up in the kids
Single-parent households managing the realities of one adult holding the system
Blended families and step-parenting dynamics
Co-parenting families after separation or divorce
Families with a child or teen who is struggling and whose distress is rippling out to siblings and parents
Families with a neurodivergent member (ADHD, autism, learning differences) working on supporting that person while also caring for everyone else's needs
Multi-generational households where grandparents, parents, and children are all under one roof
Families navigating a substance use or recovery process

How we approach family work at Aurora

We do not believe in one-size-fits-all family therapy. The first session is usually with the adults responsible for the household so we can understand the dynamics and decide who needs to be in the room and when. From there, the work might include the whole family, parents only, parent-child dyads, sibling sessions, or some combination depending on what the family is working on.

Our clinicians draw on family systems thinking, attachment-based work, parent guidance and skills coaching, play therapy when young children are involved, and trauma-informed approaches when the family is processing a difficult event. We coordinate with pediatricians, schools, psychiatrists, and other providers when it helps the family.

When parenting conflict is part of the picture, we often combine family work with couples sessions so that the adults can do their own work alongside the family work. When a teenager or child is the identified patient, we make sure their own voice and experience stay at the center, even as we work on what the system around them needs.

A therapist and client during a counseling session, focusing on mental health support.

What to expect

Sessions are 45 to 55 minutes. Families typically meet weekly or every other week. The pace and structure shift as the work progresses; some families do intensive weekly work for a few months and then move to monthly check-ins, while others do longer-term consistent work.

We work hard to keep family therapy from becoming an experience where one person, often the kid, feels singled out as the problem. The frame is that the system has a pattern, and the work belongs to everyone in the room.

A family sitting together on a sofa, relaxed and talking

Therapists at Aurora who do family work

Family work is woven through many of our clinicians' practices rather than being one therapist's silo. Each brings a different style. We will help you choose based on what your family is working on. Self-pay is ^$200 to ^$250 per session. Insurance acceptance varies by clinician; we accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tufts Health Plan (HMO/PPO/GIC), Tufts Health Direct, Harvard Pilgrim, Point32Health, Optum, United Behavioral Health, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, and Health Plans Inc. Some clinicians also accept Aetna and United Healthcare. We provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement and accept HSA and FSA payments. See the rates and insurance page for details.

We coordinate with pediatricians, schools, psychiatrists, and other providers when it helps the family.

Who you would work with

Clinicians who offer Family Therapy

Read how each person works before you reach out. If you are not sure who to ask for, we will help you choose.

Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Eren Santana-Bykofsky, MA

These clinicians list this as a specialty. Most of our team works with it in some form, so if you have someone in mind, ask and we will tell you whether the fit makes sense.

Questions

Common questions

Do all family members need to attend every session?

No. We make decisions about who is in the room based on what the work needs at that point. A typical course of family therapy might include whole-family sessions, parents-only sessions, parent-child sessions, and occasional individual check-ins. The structure adapts as the work progresses.

Can we start with just one parent?

Yes. Sometimes one parent is more ready to start than the other, or one parent is the primary caregiver and wants to do some thinking before the family comes in together. We can begin with parent guidance and decide together when to bring in additional family members.

How young can a child be in family therapy?

We work with families that include children as young as 3. Sessions involving young children often use play, art, and movement as the way the child participates, rather than verbal processing.

Do you do co-parenting counseling after divorce?

Yes. Post-divorce co-parenting work is a specific kind of family therapy focused on the working partnership of raising children together when you are no longer partners. We can structure this kind of work into a contained format, often with a clear set of goals.

Will our child's therapist also be the family therapist?

Sometimes, and sometimes not. A child or teen often needs an individual therapist who is theirs (not the family's), and the family work happens with a different clinician. We will recommend a structure that fits your situation.

What if a family member refuses to come?

We can still start. Family therapy with a willing subset of the family can change the system over time, often opening space for the more reluctant member to join later.

Where to next

Related areas we work in

Get started

Ready when you are

If your family is in a stretch that feels too big to navigate alone, reach out or call (508) 650-0991. We will talk through what is happening and help you start with the right structure.

Book a free 15-minute consult Call 508-650-0991