Family Therapy
Online in Allen and Across Texas
Helping families in addiction reconnect, rebuild trust, and heal.
Do you have a loved one struggling with addiction?
It can be difficult navigating addiction with a loved one. You want to help them, but often feel frustrated and lost at what the “right” way to do this is. They push your boundaries which may cause you to feel resentment, anger, or confusion as to why they do what they do. You feel stressed that you’re trying to juggle life, kids, work, and someone struggling with their addiction too. You feel like you have to hide this struggle from friends, coworkers or neighbors. But then you see your loved one make better decisions for themselves, possibly become sober, or reconnect with you again until…..the next relapse and if feels like this forces you right back into that negative cycle again. It is important that you are taking care of your mental and physical health too. Make time for yourself today!
What is Family Therapy in Addiction?
Family Therapy is one of the most important aspects to helping someone with in their addiction. Family can include anyone in your circle. These would be people that are in your daily life and have your best interests at heart. I’ve also found that many people crave connection with others. We often have a need to feel connected and more importantly accepted by others. Regardless of who this is for you, it’s crucial that every person in your circle is allowed to feel heard and respected for their own feelings. When we feel heard and respected, we are more willing to give or get help. Family Therapy can help re-build that connection.
Addiction affects the whole family. It isn’t isolated to just the person struggling with the addiction, but instead grabs everyone within its reach like a spiderweb. We feel tangled, lost, confused and at times unable to navigate how to get out. Our sessions will help the family as a whole feel like they have a sense of direction and a plan to keep everyone healthy, safe and heard.
How Family Therapy Can Help in Addiction Recovery
Family Therapy is for the WHOLE family! Many times the loved ones get forgotten or just not really educated on how to help. This is where Family Therapy comes in. If you are the partner, spouse, child, or parent YOU will be heard.
If you have children then you know they can become confused and disconnected from their parent with the addiction. They often begin to blame themselves for the chaos, fighting or breakdown of the family unit. Regardless of how old a child is, they will question whether or not they have done enough, loved enough, listened enough or just been ENOUGH. They may start acting out, start to react in more anxious or depressed ways, and may even begin isolating. In our family therapy sessions, we can address this first with the parents and then make a plan on how to give them a safe space to begin to heal.
There are many benefits to family therapy in someone’s recovery, let’s discuss a few:
Improved Communication - have you ever thought “why don’t they listen to how this is affecting our family” or “how many times do I have to say the same thing over and over” This can be a common issue between those that are in recovery and those that are supporting them. In our sessions, you will learn how to communicate effectively to not only get your point across but allow time and space for the other person to hear what you are saying. It can be difficult to share what we are thinking because we bottle up our feelings until we explode. Learning how to communicate can help you express your thoughts and feelings in an effective way.
Identifying and Addressing Enabling Behaviors - It can be difficult to have healthy boundaries with each other and often times we are so exhausted that we give in OR we get frustrated that our boundaries are not respected. Have you ever said “I’ve told them my boundaries and they aren’t listening or respecting them, so now what am I supposed to do”. When we learn what behaviors are enabling vs. what are healthy boundaries, we can appropriately implement them….even when it feels hard.
Rebuilding Trust - Let’s face it, trust has been lost or maybe even destroyed between family members when dealing with addiction recovery. This will be a time that we focus on rebuilding that trust. Even if you feel like you can NEVER trust that person again, this will be time for you to decide what is best for the family as a whole. This takes time. Please be patient with this process and allow yourself time to heal.
Creating a Supportive Environment - This will look different for every family. Determining what the support will look like is up to the family as a whole and through our sessions, you will be able to find this. Supportive environments can include family members attending supportive groups, educational material that helps you understand addiction, having rules for the home, and continuing therapy.
Benefits of Family Therapy in Addiction Recovery
The Importance of Family Therapy
Check out this TedTalk from Karen Perlmutter. She has a master’s degree in clinical social work and has seen the profound effects addiction has on families. Her ideas on how to help families is intriguing and resourceful.
The Island of Sanity: Navigating through loved ones’ addictions.
“Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives” - Brené Brown
FAQs of Family Therapy in Addiction Recovery
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Family Therapy has a significant effect on not only the person with the addiction but the family unit as well. Research shows that the more healthy support the person has the more effective treatment will be.
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You will learn a variety of skills that will beneficial in all relationships. This will include assertive communication styles, learning appropriate, healthy boundaries and how to enforce them, and expressing feelings. These skills will help everyone in the family begin to understand each other.
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This can be common among many people. Not everyone has a supportive family and if this is the case, then we would focus on the positive people in your life. No matter who this is for you, family therapy can still be helpful. It can also be helpful to understand your family dynamic: Was there addiction in your family? Are any of your family members diagnosed with a mental health issue? What are the patterns of behavior you may have seen growing up? These are just a few of the questions we will go over in family therapy.
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There can be some instances where family therapy will not be appropriate. This may include: abuse in the family; strained relationships that are not ready to be worked on; active substance use within family members (not just the person in recovery). Together we will determine what is best for you.