Benefits of Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment

Never in your loved one’s life have they needed the support of their family and friends more than they will throughout the course of their recovery. Facing the destructive nature of a substance use disorder and overcoming its powerful grip is akin to climbing a treacherous mountain; When your loved one does it on their own, it makes the journey that much more difficult. But when they do it alongside loved ones, they’re more likely to stay motivated and succeed.

The recovery journey is emotionally and physically difficult – both for your loved one and you. Family therapy can help you heal the damage substance abuse has caused and give your family an opportunity to move forward into sobriety.

What is Family Therapy for Addiction?

Family therapy is a powerful form of addiction treatment that helps individuals who are struggling with a substance use disorder achieve long-term sobriety and personal wellness. This is accomplished by including family members who deeply care for their loved one in the therapeutic process.

This type of treatment focuses on:

• Addressing how addiction has impacted the family unit
• Identifying the importance of maintaining familial support throughout the recovery journey

Family therapy for addiction has demonstrated positive results in a wide variety of clinical settings and is aimed at addressing substance use problems and co-occurring disorders. Family therapy combines cognitive behavioral treatment with contingency management to address your loved one’s substance use disorder, while also increasing the level of support and accountability around them.

Treatment programs that include family members throughout the process have been shown to achieve better outcomes due to the added social support that’s provided when it’s needed most.

What are the Benefits of Family Therapy for Addiction?

Including family members during substance abuse treatment significantly taps into the strength of the family unit. This enables your loved one to find ways to live without substance abuse and to identify how their addictive behaviors have impacted both their own life and the lives of the ones they love.

Additionally, family therapy helps family members become more aware of their own needs and aids in the goal of keeping substance abuse from moving from one generation to another. Family therapy helps the family unit uncover drama hidden below the surface. Many times, substance abuse masks the problems in a family deeper than alcoholism or drug abuse. These problems often rise to the surface once the person seeking treatment finds a solution to their destructive substance use disorder.

Addiction has many components, so involving the entire family allows all impacted familial areas and individuals the chance to interact and engage in a healthy manner. This improves methods of communication in the home, while forging new paths of interacting that allows everyone involved to feel more comfortable discussing difficult topics and personal hardships.

The fact of the matter is that involving family has proven to bring higher rates of sobriety, better engagement instances and increased aftercare participation. Some additional benefits of family therapy include:

• Working with family members to repair the emotional damage caused by addiction
• Helping involved family members better understand the disease concept of addiction
• Identifying enabling behaviors that need to be avoided by family members
• Actively restoring the family unit and rebuilding relationships that may have been damaged
• Helping to establish a strong sober support network for your loved one to help them when they return to the community

Family Behavior Therapy for Substance Abuse at Ranch Creek

At Ranch Creek Recovery, we recognize the importance of the family unit and the benefit it provides a person working to achieve sustained sobriety. That’s why we make family education on addiction and counseling a priority during the recovery process, offering weekly family treatment sessions and even private video calls for those family members who may live out of state.

By facilitating improved communication techniques for all involved family members, the hope is that an open channel of honest dialogue can be established. This not only allows your loved one to express themselves more effectively and intimately, but it also increases the safety net around them. This can help them avoid unforeseen relapse incidents when they return back to the community.

While we know that overcoming a substance use disorder is a monumental task, we also are keenly aware that having loved ones hold your hand along the path increases the likelihood that your loved one’s sobriety will stand the test of time.

Recover from Addiction as a Family at Ranch Creek Recovery

Wherever your loved one is on their addiction or recovery journey – if they’re contending with a severe addiction, working to become sober, trying to overcome a relapse or currently sober – we’re here for them and your entire family.

With customized treatment plans that fit your loved one’s unique recovery needs and offering a holistic alternative to the traditional twelve step program, Ranch Creek Recovery’s holistic treatment services can help your loved one stop abusing and forge a fulfilling, clean future. From the moment they start therapy, we will help them and your family every step of the way.

Learn more about Ranch Creek Recovery, including what we offer and what we treat. Have questions? We’re here to help in any way we can. Contact us today.