Family therapy is an integral part of addiction treatment. In addition to examining how your addiction has harmed you, you must become aware of how your addiction has affected your loved ones. It’s also important to recognize the issues within the family that have played a part in your addiction, as well as the support your family can offer you as you begin your recovery. Strengthening your family as a whole is a key component in your continued abstinence and recovery.
Family therapy typically occurs when relatives and loved ones visit during your stay at the treatment center. If you are attending treatment a great distance away from home, such as out of state, you’ll still be able to do family therapy through Skype. This video chat application allows you and your family much-needed face-to-face time over the Internet. Just like in-person sessions, your Skype sessions will take place at regular, pre-planned intervals during your treatment.
Family therapy serves to educate relatives on the many issues surrounding addiction. It’s an opportunity for families to understand the neuroscience of addiction in the brain, the resulting harm to the body, the root causes and consequences of addiction, how to help in relapse prevention, and how to develop healthy relational dynamics that support the entire family.
In family therapy, the addict’s behavior is seen within the context of the larger family system. By examining each family member’s role, and how they interact together, the addict’s own role becomes clearer. Dysfunction within the family is seen as both a cause and consequence of the addiction. Family members also must examine their own relationship to drugs and alcohol and consider whether they also would benefit from treatment.
Families ultimately learn healthier ways of communicating and how to begin rebuilding damaged trust. You and your family will look at your collective strengths and how you can support each other. You will learn how to share your feelings better, set healthy boundaries, and practice self-care. With honesty, open-mindedness, and a willingness to change, your family can move forward in an environment of mutual love and respect.
Hope exists in recovery. Design For Change offers a refuge for addicts seeking recovery in a long term residential program with a full continuum of care options. Grounded in the 12 step philosophy, our programs focus on creating change by taking action.