Family support is crucial to successful addiction recovery. Unfortunately, addiction can negatively affect home life, relationships, and communication. Similarly, dysfunctional relationships at home can impact addiction. Family therapy is one way for people to reconnect, establish new dynamics, and heal together.
If your family is struggling, the Santé Center for Healing can help. With inpatient and outpatient programs for both men and women, we provide comprehensive dual diagnosis treatment for mental health and addiction recovery. Call us now at 866.238.3154 to learn how our family therapy programs can help you reconnect.
What Is Family Therapy for Addiction Recovery?
As the name implies, family therapy is group therapy for loved ones. This approach to helping families reconnect places unique demands on both the participants and the therapist. While each session is unique and may use different approaches, a certified family therapist balances the needs and emotions of many loved ones at once. This might include role-playing and various techniques to help each member of a family feel seen and heard. The goal of family therapy is to help the family as a unit, not as individuals.
Benefits of Family Therapy During Addiction Recovery and Beyond
Family therapy can help loved ones understand addiction and mental health. Many people living with mood disorders and other mental issues also experience drug or alcohol addiction. In fact, at least half of people living with addiction also have a co-occurring disorder. Undiagnosed co-occurring disorders can strain family relationships and often lead to substance abuse. Family therapy provides every family member with tools to promote mental health and understand how to support mood disorders.
Five significant benefits of family therapy for addiction recovery are as follows:
- Active listening and increased empathy
- Increased stress tolerance and improved communication
- Ability to recognize and change toxic behaviors
- Relapse prevention techniques and tools for stress and anxiety management
- Adaptable treatment plans for an affordable approach to psychiatric care
Some family members may feel neglected during a loved one’s addiction journey. Fortunately, family therapy can offer everyone the support they need to grow, change, and thrive together. Moreover, family therapy can help every family member feel seen and heard. This can then improve empathy, decrease resentment, and help loved ones move past addiction in healthy ways. For many families, working with a therapist can relieve the pressures associated with overcoming addiction by providing useful tools and non-judgmental, compassionate support.
What Happens in Family Therapy for Addiction Recovery?
Many therapists use cognitive-behavioral therapy to help families understand and change family dynamics for healthier communication, better boundaries, and improved health. This evidence-based behavioral therapy can help people recognize and change harmful belief systems and behaviors. To make this happen, therapy sessions often last 60 to 90 minutes, at least once a week.
Over time, as families improve communication and overall mental health, sessions occur less frequently. Most sessions include role-playing and homework exercises for families to try in between sessions.
Begin Family Therapy to Help Your Family Thrive in Texas Today
Family therapy can be a deeply healing journey for any family affected by addiction. If your family needs support, Santé Center for Healing provides dual diagnosis and comprehensive treatment for mental health and addiction, including family therapy.
With more than 25 years of experience in the field, we are here to support clients and families through each stage of recovery. With an emphasis on trauma-informed therapy, we provide a range of evidence-based and alternative therapies for holistic treatment to help you and your loved ones feel supported.
Call Santé Center for Healing Now for More Information
Call our staff now at 866.238.3154 to learn more about the benefits of family therapy and how to get started with sessions today.
