By Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D.

There’s rushing water splashing down into the river, and I smell a familiar mixture of wet soil and that woody pine scent. Two of my kids are happily exploring the rocks and roots and trails by the waterfall while my youngest is taking in the natural surroundings from the hiking backpack that my husband is wearing. 

We love heading out into the wild spaces of Pennsylvania’s many national and state parks. This is something we genuinely love doing together, and it aligns with our defined value of family time.

Even when my husband and I are tired from a busy week with work and caring for the kids, we make the Herculean effort to get ready for a hike on the weekend – including making sandwiches, getting the kids ready, and packing any light hiking gear.

And why?

Because this one value of spending time in nature enriches our bonds, unites us, and promotes a healthy lifestyle. Not only does it benefit our physical and mental well-being, but knowing that we value spending time outdoors guides our decisions when it comes to how we spend our family time.

What Exactly Are Family Values?

At our therapy practice, we talk a lot about core values. If you follow our monthly blog posts, you’ll see that core values are a common thread throughout our posts when it comes to empowering your well-being.

As I mention in our blog post on aligning core values as an individual, knowing your values is like having a compass on-hand at all times to guide your personal, work, and relational decisions and actions, both little and large.

Once you identify your values, you can then begin to live consistently with them to achieve happiness and fulfillment.

In terms of family values, these are values that hold importance to the family, and can be centered around kindness, responsibility, honesty, respect, and so on and so forth. 

Even if the family unit doesn’t explicitly state and intentionally use family values, these values are still at play within the family dynamics, communications, and activities.

That’s because family values are informed by each person’s upbringing, culture, socio economic circumstance, beliefs, religious, political, philosophy, and location.

Taking ownership of your collective values can empower your family to envision and shape your shared identity in a purposeful and positive way.

Why Use Family Values?

First, family values aren’t just for the traditional nuclear family. It works for blended families, intergenerational families, child-free families, and non-married partners who cohabit. They can be used in the classroom at school, or in a corporate setting.

In essence, core values become the boat that keeps the family together moving in the same direction. And if you can imagine managing a boat out at sea, these values are the driving force behind the choices, decisions, and actions taken.

Just as core values can help you define your story and take back control of your life, they can create cohesion within your family that helps each family member cultivate positive relationships, make hard decisions, and live a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

What’s more, intentionally identifying and using family values can help guide your parenting style, provide clarity and structure for your kids, and foster respect within your family.

When challenges arise, which is a part of our common humanity, your kids can refer to their family values to help them navigate difficult decisions and make ethical choices. 

Just in everyday life, you and your family can use your family values to align any decision, ranging from how to spend family time together to chores, and how to navigate conflict to developing better communication skills.

On a larger level, as they grow up and figure out who they are in our rapidly changing world, they can have their family values as a starting place for them to shape their identity.

Final Thoughts

Many different types of families can use family values to enrich their lives, from blended families to families without kids. And, as you can clearly see, there are plenty of benefits for using family values. 

So, the next time you, your kids, or anyone in the family encounters a challenge, or you find yourself realizing you don’t like how family dinnertime goes, then bring your awareness to how family values could come in to support these situations.

In the meanwhile, look out for our next blog post on How to Make Your Family Relationships Stronger With the Comprehensive List of Family Values. 

As always, here at CCWB, we value our clients and acknowledge the courage it takes to seek professional mental health support. If you’re interested in seeking professional support from one of our expert and compassionate clinicians at Chester County Well-Being, we’re here to empower your journey to well-being with family counseling, parenting support, and couples counseling through high-quality in-person or teletherapy sessions.

We welcome you to reach out to us here.

*Disclaimer: The contents of this blog does not constitute a clinical relationship or replace the need for professional services. 

Contact Us

Here at CCWB, we value our clients and acknowledge the courage it takes to seek professional mental health support.

Chester County Well-Being (CCWB) provides a range of mental health services to ensure we meet our community’s needs. We serve individuals, couples, and families in the Chester County area. Reach out to us here.

Our specializations include:

• Family Counseling
• Parenting Support
• Couples Counseling
• Stress Management
• Therapy for Depression and Anxiety
• Conflict Resolution
• Work and Career issues
• Grief Counseling
• Addiction & Recovery

Teletherapy

All our clinicians provide safe and secure teletherapy sessions to anyone residing in PA. Additionally, we provide telehealth options for residents of other states, depending on the clinician. Simply head to our About Us page, and click each clinician’s “read more” tab for telehealth details.

Telepsychology services are provided by Dr. Kuangparichat and Dr. Stern to clients who reside in a state that participates in PSYPACT. Find out if your state is on the list of participating states HERE.

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About the Author

Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D. is founder and psychologist at Chester County Well-Being.  

She has a collaborative approach that results in highly tailored evaluations intended to meet her clients’ unique needs. She focuses on an individual’s strengths, which are integrated in the practical, personalized recommendations identified by the findings of an evaluation. 

In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and getting ice cream or doughnuts from the local shops.