Healing Together: Family Therapy for Addiction
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Are you or a loved one struggling with substance abuse or other addictive behaviours? If so, you know that it can be incredibly difficult to overcome this problem and stay sober in the long term. Fortunately, family therapy is an evidence-based approach that offers greater insight into the underlying causes of addiction, support from close family members, and lasting strategies for recovery.
Family therapy can help you all reconnect and build stronger relationships. It can aid in identifying the underlying issues that led to the addiction, such as stress, trauma, or depression. Through this process, you can gain greater insight into your behaviour and why you may have turned to drugs including alcohol as a means of coping.
During family counselling, family members learn how to support you in recovery better, as well as coping mechanisms that can be used to counteract an eventual episode. This includes understanding the addiction, setting appropriate boundaries, and providing emotional support. By taking a holistic approach to treatment, we at CATCH Recovery guide you toward developing new skills for healthy communication and conflict resolution.
How Does Addiction Affect Family Members?
Addiction has a profound effect on the family. Not only can it tear apart relationships, but it can lead to financial difficulties, emotional trauma and even physical harm. When someone struggles with addiction, their loved ones often feel helpless and overwhelmed. They may suffer from anxiety or depression as they try to cope with guilt and confusion about the situation.
Has your family been divided because of addiction? Although you may feel like they are rotting away at this point, they can be healed with the correct tools and treatment methods.
Intimate Partners
When someone struggles with addiction, their intimate partner often feels helpless and overwhelmed as well. Addiction can cause a painful rift in the relationship, leading to mistrust, feelings of betrayal and guilt, and emotional turmoil. It can be difficult for a partner to know how to react or cope with the behaviour that comes with addiction.
Through family therapy, partners of those struggling with addiction can gain greater insight into their feelings and experiences. They can learn how to set appropriate boundaries and offer support that is in the best interest of everyone involved. Family therapy can also help partners develop new skills for communication, trust, and understanding.
Parents
Addiction counselling for parents can be a vital part of recovery. Parents often feel the most helpless regarding their child’s addiction, yet they are often in the best position to provide support. Addiction counselling can help parents learn how to support their child without enabling or triggering addictive behaviour. It can also help them develop skills for effective communication, setting boundaries, and being more empathetic. Through addiction counselling, parents can gain greater insight into their own needs and how to better support their child’s recovery.
Children of an Addicted Parent
Children of an addicted parent are faced with a unique set of challenges and struggles. They often feel isolated, scared, confused, and powerless over their parent’s behaviour. Child abuse can lead to lasting psychological and emotional damage as the child grows older. They are often affected by the consequences of their carer’s addiction such as unemployment, mood disorders and neglect. They often grow up without having received the correct counselling for their needs, resulting in difficulties later in life.
When Is It Time to Get Family Counselling?
When is it time to get family counselling for addiction? It is never too soon to seek help during an addiction crisis. Family therapy can provide the support, understanding, and tools needed to promote long-term recovery and reconnect relationships. By focusing on the underlying issues that led to the addiction and developing new skills for communication, family therapy can bring greater insight into why someone may have turned to drugs or alcohol and how to support them in their recovery.
Family Therapy Sessions by CATCH Recovery
At CATCH Recovery, we understand that addiction can have an immense impact on the entire family. That’s why we offer various options to help everyone involved in the recovery process. The CATCH Recovery team will provide a supportive environment to discuss your feelings and experiences. Family therapy can help create a safe communication, understanding, and healing space.
By engaging in family therapy, you gain greater insight into your own behaviour and its impact on others. It can also provide new tools for long-term recovery. In addition, family therapy can help every family member learn how to support the other members of the family unit during the shared recovery period and create a stronger bond through open communication and empathy.
Our experience shows that combining brief strategic family therapy with family recovery support groups and multidimensional family therapy provides the best chance of improving family relationships.
Multisystemic Therapy
Multisystemic therapy (MST) is an evidence-based approach to family therapy that addresses the multiple systems in a person’s life that have been affected by addiction. This type of therapy views addiction as the result of complex interactions between individuals, families, social networks, and even larger communities. MST focuses on understanding these interactions and identifying ways to build skills for long-term sobriety and successful recovery.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is an important part of strategic family therapy in addiction recovery. When a person struggling with addiction receives praise for their efforts and constructive criticism when appropriate, it can be incredibly powerful in motivating them to continue striving for sobriety. Positive reinforcement can also help to create a safe and supportive environment where members are encouraged to take ownership of their recovery and be accountable for their actions.
Structural Family Therapy
This type of counselling focuses on the organisation and hierarchy within a family, aiming to strengthen the family structure and improve communication. This approach is particularly beneficial for families with rigid or chaotic patterns, as it helps to establish clear boundaries and roles. Each family member will actively work towards the shared goals, focusing on family life, family interactions and keeping the family environment pure and unaffected by outbursts and emotional abuse.
Bowenian Family Therapy
During these sessions, you will discuss and acknowledge the emotional connections within a family and aims to reduce anxiety and promote individual growth. This approach is particularly helpful for families with high levels of emotional reactivity or those struggling with intergenerational patterns of dysfunction. Family problems are best resolved in therapeutic family sessions where the environment can be used to calm down any arising conflicts.
Functional Family Therapy
Functional family therapy (FFT) is highly effective for addiction recovery. This approach focuses on your interactions within the family system. FFT helps identify any dysfunctional communication patterns, roles, and behaviours that may have developed within the family over time. It also encourages each family member to focus on how they can improve their behaviour and help each other in recovery. This type of family training is highly successful in helping the entire family system heal from the effects of drug abuse and alcohol use disorder.
Online Family Counselling
Online family counselling offers a unique opportunity for those struggling with addiction and their families to access therapeutic support, no matter where they are. This type of therapy utilizes video conferencing technology to provide a secure and confidential space for clients and their families to address the issues that arise during addiction recovery, such as communication strategies, setting boundaries, understanding trauma, and much more.
Online family counselling can also be a great way for those in rural or remote areas to access the support and resources they need.
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Benefits of Family Therapy for Addiction
One of the main benefits of family therapy is that it allows you to receive counselling from a professional. Our experienced alcohol and drug addiction specialists can provide insight into the underlying causes of your condition and help create an individualised treatment programme. Family members can be included in many of our therapies, implementing techniques for helping all affected. The therapy sessions can provide further insight into how the addiction has affected the family and how to support each other best as we progress through recovery. The scope of counselling is to help you maintain abstinence once you return to your family, provide ways to resolve conflict without building pressure, strengthen the family involvement in the healing process and provide a way forward for the entire family.
During our family counselling sessions, families can work together to identify areas of conflict and develop better communication skills that can be used to foster a healthier home environment. This support system is essential as it can provide the encouragement and understanding you need to maintain your sobriety.
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Besides providing counselling and support systems, the CATCH Recovery family therapy can help you develop lasting strategies for recovery. This includes developing healthy coping mechanisms, identifying triggers, and creating an individualised relapse prevention plan. By learning how to manage stressors effectively, you will be better equipped to handle challenging situations without resorting to substance abuse or other compulsions.
Family therapy’s effects are best suited for people looking for addiction treatment as it is effective for finding better mechanisms for handling compulsive behaviours. It offers insight into the underlying causes of the addiction, support from close family members, and lasting strategies for long-term recovery. If you or someone you love suffers from addiction, consider seeking a family therapist to help you recover.
Reach Out Today for a Free Assessment
Are you or a loved one fighting to overcome addiction? You don’t have to do it alone. Reach out today for a free addiction assessment and find out how family therapy can help support your long-term recovery journey.