Detox is a difficult stage of recovery. Most people experience mild to severe symptoms and undergo a variety of unusual mood swings and behavioral changes. According to Substance Use and Misuse, “Support from family and friends can encourage entry into treatment and sustained sobriety.” At Twilight Recovery Center, we offer family counseling and support throughout treatment, including during detox, withdrawal, and early recovery.
The Role of Family Counseling in Recovery
Stigmas or misinformation about substance use disorder (SUD) might make it difficult for the people you love to understand what you are going through. Most friends and family members of people in recovery do not know the risk factors for addiction or how personalized rehabilitation often leads to more successful long-term recovery. Family counseling can bridge that gap by providing education and a neutral space where you can work through issues and find healthy solutions.
For many people, family involvement is an essential part of recovery. Counseling and family support services can heal rifts caused by maladaptive family dynamics and substance misuse.
Who Can Attend Family Counseling?
Family counseling is not limited to your spouse or blood relatives. Anyone who plays a significant role in your recovery or personal life can attend family counseling, including:
- Friends
- Roommates
- Guardians
- Coworkers
- Adopted family
- Significant others
- Sponsors and mentors
For the first few weeks of treatment, many facilities use telehealth options like phone or video calls if they conduct family counseling. After the detox stage is complete, family members may be allowed to come for short visits where they can attend family counseling sessions in person. The individuals who participate in family support services will not have access to your medical records. You should feel safe and secure knowing that whatever you disclose in individual therapy will not be discussed in family counseling without your permission.
Primary Benefits of Family Counseling
Counseling can incorporate various therapeutic approaches to create a truly personalized experience that meets the needs of each individual involved and the family unit. The primary benefits of family counseling include:
- Creating an open line of communication
- Educating the family on the realities of addiction, treatment, and recovery
- Group processing of past and recent traumas
- Setting and maintaining healthier boundaries
- Learning to work together to create preventative strategies
Family therapy also provides an excellent opportunity for your loved ones to find out more about addiction and recovery.
Family Education About the Realities of Addiction
Families often need education about the realities of addiction, especially including:
- Risk factors
- Triggers
- Treatments
- Support resources
- Community programs
Case managers at Twilight Recovery Center can provide guests and their families with educational resources to provide insight and support. In fact, part of the education process involves learning how past and current behaviors affect recovery.
Open and honest communication is essential to a healthy family dynamic. Being transparent about your struggles with addiction will help your family better understand what you are going through and how they can help you during your ongoing recovery. During counseling sessions, you and your loved ones will learn how to communicate effectively and with compassion.
Family Processing and the Consequences of Addiction
Family processing during counseling sessions is an excellent tool for analyzing your current situation and how to avoid falling back into maladaptive behaviors after completing rehabilitation. You will have guided discussions about the consequences of addiction and how it has affected each person’s life. During these sessions, it is important to remain hopeful and focused on how the things you learn will allow you to make better choices in the future.
Often the talk therapy part of family counseling takes place toward the end of treatment when guests feel more emotionally stable. By that point, family members have had an opportunity to see the positive impact treatment can have on recovery.
Family Counseling Supports and Uplifts
You deserve to be loved and respected by those who care about you the most. The uplifting and supportive nature of family counseling can sustain lasting changes and strengthen relationships. For the same reason, family members and friends can attend family counseling sessions and learn ways to contribute to your treatment. During the early stages of recovery, counseling will focus on the following:
- Improving communication
- Creating a support system
- Talking honestly about the consequences of addiction
- Determining relationship and recovery goals
- Finding motivation for healthy changes
Hearing how your loved ones honestly feel about your addictive behaviors can be eye-opening and give you further motivation to continue healing, growing, and moving forward each day toward a better future. Without doubt, family counseling is beneficial for everyone involved and can enhance the effectiveness of individual therapy and other treatments.
Maladaptive family dynamics increase the risk of relapse for people recovering from SUD and dual diagnoses. Twilight Recovery Center uses family counseling and support services to repair relationship issues and strengthen family bonds. Guests and their loved ones can heal and grow during treatment using our evidence-based methods. We provide therapeutic tools for families and friends. The skills they learn will allow them to communicate their needs and boundaries to loved ones. We encourage guests to talk with their family by phone or video during detox and early withdrawal. At later stages of the program, they will have the opportunity to have in-person counseling sessions with the people who care most about their well-being and recovery. We also offer alumni support and aftercare planning to ensure individuals and families can access the resources they need to continue healing. To learn more, call us today at (888) 414-8183.
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