Family Therapy
Addiction is known as a family disease. Not only can family history and dynamics affect addiction, but addiction usually takes an enormous toll on families. That’s why including family in therapy for addiction recovery is considered best practice. When searching for addiction therapy programs, be sure to confirm that family counseling is included in the list of services offered.
At TruHealing Riverbend in Jeffersonville, Indiana, we understand the value of family inclusion in the process. Our family therapy program offers those with a substance use disorder and their families the opportunity to heal individually and together. If you have questions about how family therapy works in a rehab setting, give us a call at (855) 652-0546 or fill out our online form to be connected to a knowledgeable staff member who can answer them.
Why a Family Therapy Program?
Family therapy is highly successful in helping families heal and move forward. Inter-generational patterns can get stuck on repeat, and therapy is able to interrupt those often-dysfunctional habits and ways of communicating. Family can be a huge part of their loved one’s recovery, but without therapy and guidance, enabling and co-dependence can be difficult to shift away from.
Both the person with addiction and the family can heal by participating in a family therapy program. It’s often difficult to talk about emotions because you may be afraid of causing hurt. Some individuals use their own painful emotions like a weapon and lash out. Neither of these is helpful, though both are normal reactions to the complex dynamics of a family living with one member’s addiction. In family therapy, the therapist can create an environment and expectations for sharing feelings like shame, frustration, anger, fear, and disappointment so that everyone feels safe and is heard.
Benefits of Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment
In a family therapy program that is part of addiction rehab, all participants benefit, not just the person with the substance use disorder. Below are some of the key benefits you and your family will experience at TruHealing Riverbend when engaging in family counseling.
- Work on communication. Improving a broken communication system is one of the most profound benefits of family therapy for addiction. The therapist can work with everyone in the family group to establish healthy ways to talk to one another and establish safe guidelines for avoiding hurt and amplifying love and compassion.
- Learn about the undercurrents and patterns within the family. When a family is unaware of its dynamics, it is also unaware of how they may be contributing to substance abuse. In therapy, you first learn to recognize those dysfunctional patterns and then how to shift them into healthy family habits.
- Develop understanding and compassion. In family therapy, everyone learns about addiction—what is it, how it works, what it does to the individual and the family, and how it creates and amplifies dangerous or harmful behaviors. Knowledge is power. With understanding comes empathy and healing.
- Build or rebuild trust. There is a lot of distrust that develops when a member of a family is addicted to drugs or alcohol. The person with the substance use disorder has potentially betrayed the family’s trust by lying or stealing to both hide and support their addiction. In therapy, trust can be built or regained.
- Set healthy boundaries. Unhelpful dynamics often evolve among family members when someone is struggling with a substance use disorder. Creating boundaries is a vital skill that is learned in family therapy.
Reach Out to TruHealing Riverbend for a Family Therapy Program in Jeffersonville, Indiana
At TruHealing Riverbend, our commitment to your recovery is paramount. We are also committed to working with your family in our addiction therapy program because your family is part of your healing, and their well-being, trust, and healthy patterns of communication benefit not only them but you.
At TruHealing Riverbend, we use evidence-based treatments like family therapy to maximize your long-term recovery outcomes. Learn more by calling us today at (855) 652-0546 or simply submitting our easy online form.