Many people think of individual counseling when it comes to addiction recovery, however, family counseling is just as important. While individual therapy focuses on the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of one person, family counseling focuses on relationships. In doing so, family counseling helps people to understand and validate the experiences of each family member. The ultimate goal of family therapy for addiction is to provide healing for the person recovering from addiction as well as their family members.
Addiction counselors help families by providing each person with an understanding of one another while repairing each relationship that was affected by substance abuse. Structured Family RecoveryⓇ for addiction helps the entire family improve in all aspects of their lives. This may include providing intervention for loved ones struggling with addiction, helping them find a rehab that accepts their insurance, and even improving failure to launch syndrome.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the main ways that addiction counselors help families recover.
One of the many ways an addiction counselor helps the whole family is by providing professional intervention services. Interventions are structured family meetings to convince a loved one to attend professional treatment. When a family decides to plan an intervention, an addiction counselor will help them with planning and structuring the entire event.
When planning an intervention, addiction counselors work with family members and friends to write statements describing how the individual’s addiction has affected them. The counselor will ensure that each statement is written in a loving and supportive tone, avoiding any accusatory or argumentative wording. This prevents the individual from becoming defensive and allows them to empathize with their family members.
Additionally, when an addiction counselor stages an intervention, a plan is created for the patient to attend a professional treatment center. The counselor works closely with the individual’s family to ensure that they are choosing a treatment center tailored to the person’s needs.
Oftentimes, a huge barrier to professional addiction treatment is the cost. Addiction treatment centers can be very expensive when a family has to pay out of pocket. Fortunately, most drug rehab programs accept a variety of insurance plans to curb some of the costs of recovery.
When a family is working with an addiction counselor, they can ask for assistance with finding an in-network rehab center. Addiction counselors typically know the ins and outs of local drug rehab centers, allowing them to provide informed recommendations to their patients.
One of the most common issues that affect families today is known as “failure to launch” syndrome. To explain, failure to launch is characterized by an adult child remaining dependent on their families rather than becoming a self-sufficient individual. This phenomenon must be treated with a whole-family approach for the individual to gain the skills and confidence to tackle life as a self-sufficient adult.
Addiction therapists help families recover from failure to launch syndrome by addressing underlying issues and teaching members of the family to set realistic goals. While the counselor teaches the adult child how to become independent, they will also teach the parents how to stop enabling behaviors.
Oftentimes, failure to launch is caused by parents who tend to be overinvolved in their child’s life. While the individual is receiving behavioral therapy, career counseling, and mindfulness training, the parents will undergo family counseling that teaches them how to set boundaries and consequences healthily.
Addiction counseling for families helps treat failure to launch syndrome by:
Family addiction counselors utilize a form of treatment that provides patients with a solid foundation of recovery and familial support. This type of treatment is referred to as Structured Family RecoveryⓇ.
Structured Family RecoveryⓇ brings the family together to work as a team to address the situation at hand. This allows the family to move from crisis to recovery in only eight steps, which include:
This approach to addiction family counseling provides the family with help throughout the entire recovery process, from intervention to aftercare. When families commit to SFR, they learn how to communicate more freely, forgive one another, and create equal partnerships within the family.
Michael Herbert, The Recovery Guide, has more than 30 years of experience working closely with individuals and families dealing with addiction and recovery issues. He is a seasoned Coach and can help you and your family establish long-term goals and access the tools you need for continued abstinence and recovery for the entire family. Get in touch with Michael today at 561-221-7677 to schedule an appointment.
