It’s very sad to see a close family member, like a brother or sister, waste their potential due to addiction. Addiction creates many problems for a family. These include stigma, money issues, stress, and sadness. Most importantly, it can damage the strong bonds between family members.
People consider a family the basic, most fundamental, and integral support system in society. Therefore, you must go above and beyond to protect and help your family members, even if they’re victims of addiction.
One way to help a loved one with addiction is to use a family therapy program. This blog will guide you about the techniques, benefits, and expectations of family therapy for addiction.
Let’s dive into the details.
Family therapy serves as a therapeutic model that helps family members restore good relationships with each other. It helps family members support someone dealing with any addiction.
Addiction is when a person cannot stop using a substance or behaving in a certain way. It can take many forms. These are:
All family members take part in family counseling. This helps improve the outcomes for a person with a drug addiction. It aims to help family members talk better, build stronger relationships, and handle conflicts peacefully when they happen.
However, depending on their case, families can have different objectives when pursuing family therapy.
One of the critical support systems of any individual with an addiction is their family. It is where they cast their last hope for emotional, mental, and physical safety.
If a family member is struggling with addiction and their habit seems out of control, family therapy can help. It is when all family members work together with a family therapist. They aim to find the best ways to help a loved one with an addiction problem.
A family therapist will help you realize your family’s weaknesses, strengths, and areas of improvement. Family therapy for addiction usually needs every family member to join sessions with a therapist. They can attend individually or as a group.
In these sessions, a therapist will listen to everyone’s concerns. Then, they will use the best family therapy method to help you heal and recover.
Research from SAMHSA shows that family therapy can help people recover from drug addiction. A family therapist provides a safe space for your family. Here, you can learn and make changes with someone recovering from drug addiction.
Family therapists help your family make important changes. These changes can prevent relapse and promote respect. They also support your loved one in their recovery.
Goals are those specific aspirations that families intend to achieve from family therapy for addiction. Numerous goals can make you pursue family therapy for addiction, such as:
These goals can change based on different family situations. The main goal is to help your family live with someone who has a substance use disorder during their recovery. These goals act as a roadmap and guide you throughout your therapeutic journey.
Family therapists use different types of therapies to address addiction concerns. Understanding these therapies will help you select the most suitable option, depending on your family’s needs. Below are the common family therapies used by professionals to treat various addictions.
Structural family therapy is one of the most widely utilized models by professional family therapists in the world. Supporters of this model think that stressful family situations can lead a family member to develop an addiction. They see addiction as a way to cope with stress.
This therapy model looks at your family structure. Its goal is to improve how family members interact with each other. It relies on family mapping, a technique that allows therapists to understand the hierarchy and structure of a family.
A therapist can use family mapping to understand behavior and interaction patterns. These patterns may have led a family member to develop an addiction. During the process, the family therapist can identify the following:
Even though it is time-consuming, structural family therapy is beneficial to families facing addiction problems in various ways. Some of these benefits include:
Overall, structural family therapy helps your therapist see your family structure and any problems. They can then suggest ways to keep your family strong. These interventions can vary depending on your family’s dynamics.
Multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) is a model that helps reduce drug abuse and delinquency in young people. The Multidimensional Family Therapy model is one of the best at reducing youth drug abuse worldwide.
The model uses a multidimensional approach to improve four significant areas likely to contribute to their behavior. These are:
The MDFT therapists dedicate their time and effort to talking to the teenagers, their parents, their friends, and even teachers. They encourage them to assist these teenagers to reduce their dependence on harmful substances. The outcomes of MDFT are measured through positive behavioral change and symptom reduction.
Behavioral couples therapy (BCT) is a therapeutic approach that helps couples to address substance abuse without breaking their relationships. In this approach, close partners help with abstinence. This support can prevent relapse and encourage healthy recovery from substance abuse.
BCT therapists encourage partners to embrace positivity, accept each other, and improve communication to facilitate quick recovery from substance abuse. Other recommendations that BCT therapists recommend include:
However, to promote abstinence from these substances, your partner is given a recovery contract. The contract confines the couple to daily goals that must be achieved and rewarded.
The patient is rewarded for not abusing a substance or drug. This helps them recover and heal quickly. Essentially, it is a therapeutic model where couples support each other to recover from an addiction.
Systemic family therapy looks at how a person’s interactions connect to the problems they face. Other therapies focus more on emotions and behaviors. It is used to treat individuals, families, and couples. It is also an approach that can be used to treat individuals who work in groups and organizations.
Systemic family therapy does not try to change the patient. Instead, it aims to change the system. This system may be a key reason for the person’s addiction.
By looking at how family members interact, therapists can better help with addiction issues in the family.
There are several benefits that your family can gain by utilizing family therapy to solve an addiction problem. Below are some of the proven benefits gathered from top therapists in the world.
As simple as it sounds, communication is the pillar of all successful relationships. Family therapy assists your family in unlocking the hidden power of communication.
Family therapy helps family members recognize the importance of communicating effectively in relationships. Many families have trouble communicating. The therapy helps members share their feelings, wants, and needs. This can improve understanding and build strong bonds.
Communicating effectively will improve understanding and reduce conflicts among your family members.
In family therapy, you learn about the causes and effects of addiction. This affects not just the person but also the whole family. When your families understand the complexities surrounding addiction, it becomes easier to heal and recover.
Family therapy is helpful because it helps members see that addiction is a disease, not a moral failing. This will reduce stigma and create an atmosphere of empathy and understanding.
An addiction of a family member affects all members of the entire family unit in various ways. Here are some ways in which family therapy in addiction treatment can provide support and guidance for recovery:
However, your family will experience positive outcomes if they collaborate with the therapists without failure. Professional therapists are friendly, understanding, and helpful.
We know that cost is a major factor for most people when seeking treatment for drug & alcohol abuse in Virginia. Novara Recovery Center works with most major insurance plans to help cover up to 100% of the costs associated with treatment at our program. To find out your personal options for treatment, get a free verification of insurance benefits right now by clicking the button below.
Finding a reliable, affordable, experienced family therapist is stressful. It is like looking for an apartment in a competitive housing market. The demand for these therapists is always higher than the supply available.
We have put together simple steps to help you find a family therapist easily from home.
It may help to request referrals from your doctor or your favorite treatment center. Doctors and treatment centers near you are helpful. They often see patients with substance use disorders as part of their work.
However, even if your doctor makes a good referral, their taste and preferences might not match your goals and objectives. You should use a referral as a starting point. This helps you find family therapists who fit your family’s needs.
Hunting for the best family therapist requires resilience and patience. If referrals fail, the internet won’t.
There are numerous reliable databases that can help you identify the best therapist for your family. These databases contain professional details, contact information, and pictures of qualified family therapists.
Search using keywords like “best family therapist near me.” You’ll find thousands of suggestions from Google. Contact your best match and arrange for a call to discuss your addiction problem.
Consult them for guidance if you intend to pay for family therapy sessions using your insurance coverage. In most cases, insurance companies have a good network of family therapists.
They can recommend a suitable family therapist who’s affiliated with their company. In addition, they can advise you on the appropriate number of sessions they cover, hence reducing your costs.
After selecting a perfect family therapist, you will start receiving professional sessions to treat the addiction in your family. Here is what you should expect:
In a typical family therapy for addiction, the first session is usually an interaction with the therapist. Here, the therapist asks each member questions to help them assess the addiction and understand your family’s goals.
At this stage, the therapist asks each family member how the addiction has impacted them. They will use this information as a roadmap to the entire treatment process.
After assessing the addiction and understanding your goals as a family, you will officially start working with the therapist. Depending on their mode of delivery, the therapist will arrange regular therapy sessions with each of your family members.
During these sessions, they will utilize various approaches to understand your concerns. They will suggest ways to help your family accept, heal, and recover from the effects of addiction.
It is your mandate to decide who is family and why they should be involved in the therapy session. Your therapist’s job is to ensure that all members mentioned as family attend all sessions without fail.
When every member attends these sessions, it becomes easier to resolve conflicts, communicate properly, and address the addiction objectively.
Family members can help their loved one living with an addiction in various ways. Here are a few measures family members can take to support their loved one in recovery:
Education about addiction is instrumental in helping them in their recovery journey. Education about addiction will help family members to understand the following:
These fundamentals will help your family members accommodate the individual living with an addiction to recover quickly.
Honest and open communication is very important for family members. They truly want to help their loved ones recover from addiction. A person with an addiction may struggle to communicate. Family members should learn how to talk to them well.
Open and honest communication will reduce disagreements and foster healthy relationships.
When your family members set boundaries and encourage healthy habits, they hasten the recovery process for your loved one. Healthy boundaries guide your communication and interaction with the individual with a substance use disorder. These boundaries will hold the individual with a substance use disorder accountable and change for the better.
They should also encourage enabling behaviors that will assist the member in recovering quickly from the addiction. These healthy behaviors include changing their environments, getting a hobby, meditating, practicing yoga or reiki, exercising, and much more.
At Novara Recovery Center, we understand the impacts that addiction brings to a family. However, you can now overcome those problems through our personalized, evidence-based treatments and consultations. Contact our treatment program today at 703-705-7870 for more information and assistance.
Written By:
Mental Health Writer
Geoffrey Andaria is a seasoned writer and editor specializing in mental health content. With a B.A. in English and Journalism, he possesses a solid foundation in crafting freelance articles and conducting research. Geoffrey has also completed courses in social work. He dedicates himself to providing valuable and informative content for individuals impacted by mental health challenges and addiction.
Medically Reviewed By:
Expert Contributor
Dr. Williams is currently a board member for two non-profit service organizations. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He possesses a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Union Institute and University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a license to offer addiction counseling in both New Jersey and Connecticut. Additionally, he has submitted an application to become a licensed psychologist in New Jersey.
