Whether you are a consultant or a GP, there is no doubt that you will have had in front of you families in an emotional muddle. Sometimes there is a glaring mental health problem or external factors that trigger mental health problems such as divorce, redundancy, terminal illness or debt.

But often it is not entirely clear why a couple, child or family are in a mess.

One of the roles of Rafan House is to look at what goes on within the mind of a person, the way their mind developed while young and the impact this has on later life.

Babies often pop out with those pursed little lips seeking mummy’s milk and, hopefully, the rooting baby finds the nursing mother. However, if this instinctive search isn’t met with feeding then that little mind, just like its developing body, has an experience of unmet expectation. If this keeps happening, the unconscious mind will develop in a very particular way, different to the baby who suckles happily.

This baby’s development and the impact it has on adult life is still much harder to engage the client with than the physical side.

Emotional muddles in one family member can spread through the whole family. It can become so huge that families are often too fearful of how they might be perceived to seek help. However, the sooner it is recognised, the sooner Rafan House can help.

Rafan House specialises in helping complex families. Our successful philosophy when working with families is to always start with the family member who is willing to seek help, and in our experience the rest of the family soon follow.