Everyone needs support from family members. This is especially true when you are in addiction recovery. Your family is your baseline support system that helps you stay motivated and maintain progress. The importance of family support is why many treatment centers encourage families to get involved in their loved one’s recovery journey. Many facilities offer family therapy to guide the entire family system to health and good quality of life.

Family Intervention and Entering Treatment

Many people enter treatment for addiction at their family members’ insistence. It is fortunate to have family members who care for you and are willing to admit there is a problem and take steps to solve it. You ought not to take this for granted, because the stigma around this issue is strong. Many families will not admit the problem, a denial that comes at the expense of their loved one’s health.

If your family has staged some kind of intervention to get you into treatment, make sure you show appreciation for their efforts. See their actions as the fruits of love and care. Affirm their importance in your life as you are now determined to get better. At the same time, because not many families are equipped with the knowledge of effective recovery strategies, encourage them to work with recovery experts to educate them further while you get treatment.

Educating Family Members for Better Support

If you have family members who are interested in helping but don’t know how to, education is the first step. However, this role is not for you to fulfill. Talk to a professional at your treatment facility so they can provide concerned family members with educational resources about addiction and recovery.

Family members should also be informed about how to aid your recovery in specific ways. While you focus on treatment and getting better, they can help in behind-the-scenes ways like managing the logistics of insurance, learning how to make your home a recovery-supportive environment, and discovering support groups in the area to keep you on track once you’ve completed treatment. Their knowledge about your health conditions and lifestyle can also help health professionals design a personalized treatment plan.

Health professionals may also coach your family members on how to monitor your symptoms and prevent relapses. There may also be unhealthy family dynamics that need to be addressed to help your transition to recovery at home be as smooth as possible. Family therapy is the best way to achieve these goals.

Benefits of Family Therapy

Family therapy is a form of group counseling that helps the entire family system understand how to become more recovery-supportive. Every family has issues, including relationship tensions, communication barriers, and decision-making difficulties. A trained therapist can help family members work through emotions that might arise during your recovery. For example, your family members may be taught to change their communication style to better support your sobriety.

Family-based programs are critical for parents who are going through recovery. Because parents with substance use disorder tend to have parenting difficulties, their children may have suffered neglect or even abuse. Family therapy helps restore a family unit’s self-sufficiency while preventing further negative impacts on children and working through any damage that has already been done.

In short, families need professional support and coaching to become recovery-supportive for their loved ones. For some populations such as teens and youth, family-based intervention is imperative because many family members have played the role of enabler which is often counterproductive.

Choosing a Treatment Center With Quality Family Therapy

Recovery is a time to rebuild a family. If you are looking for a quality program with effective family therapy, make sure they include the following:

• An educational approach to the science behind addiction and recovery
• Therapy sessions available for family members
• Professionally trained and licensed therapists who help families set healthy boundaries and improve communication methods
• The ability to refer to other resources to support families

Other Benefits of Family Therapy

Both you and your family members need accountability on the journey of recovery. As the one in recovery, you must trust your loved ones to help you keep up with the things that keep you on the path of recovery. Likewise, your loved ones must stay accountable for protecting the home environment and implementing the things they’ve learned in therapy.

Many families become so absorbed in strong emotions surrounding their loved one’s addiction that they fail to provide the support their loved one needs. Some families may be struggling with co-dependent relationships. Family therapy reinforces a non-confrontational way to communicate and empathize with their loved ones.

Families may feel isolated in this battle against addiction. A family therapist may refer them to support groups where people share similar experiences. Peer learning and support can be powerful. Involving family in treatment helps dissipate the shame and stigma many people associate with addiction.

Family therapy is an important component of addiction rehab. Parents, children, spouses, and other loved ones of those with an addiction may blame themselves for its development. Empowering the family is one of the many benefits of undergoing family therapy during inpatient rehab. Laguna Shores Recovery offers high-quality family therapy as part of the recovery process. If your family struggles to support you properly during recovery, Laguna Shores can help. Our experienced family therapists can work with your family members to improve their communication and conflict resolution. Working with family members is every bit as important as working with the one with an addiction. As a quality residential rehab facility, we offer treatment methods such as detox, medication, 12-Step groups, and relationship skills coaching to get you on the path to long-lasting recovery in addition to family therapy. Call us today at 954-688-5806 to make this important step.