When one family member has a substance use disorder, it affects the whole family system. A family therapy program can help family members process disappointment, resentment, love, and forgiveness. Call Insight Recovery Center today at 828.826.1376 for information about our family therapy services.
The Benefits of Family Counseling
Families may seek counseling when they are facing challenges they don’t know how to overcome on their own. Family therapy helps evaluate and treat mental health disorders and resolve behavioral and relationship problems.
The five benefits of family counseling include:
1. Improved Collaboration Among Family Members
Addiction and other mental health concerns can strain family relationships. Some people worry that family therapy sessions will be filled with conflict and center around the addicted person, but family therapy focuses on the unit, not individuals.
2. Better Communication Skills
Though emotionally charged conversations are common in therapy, an experienced therapist knows how to maintain a positive therapeutic environment where every family member feels welcome.
3. Learning Individual Coping Strategies
During the treatment, the therapist may want to speak with members individually or in pairs to better understand how well the process is working. Individuals can learn skills and coping strategies that they can take out into other relationships beyond the family as well.
4. Treatment for Mental Health Concerns
In family therapy, co-occurring concerns, such as substance use disorder, depression, or trauma, can be addressed.
5. Learning How to Recognize and De-Escalate Emotional Triggers
In therapy, families learn how to get their own needs met and how to support others in a healthy way.
Family Counseling: A Safe Place for Making Amends
The goal of family therapy or family counseling is to help families communicate effectively and restore functional relationships. It is a safe environment where every member of the family is heard and treated with respect. Addiction treatment clients often use the supportive experience of family therapy for making amends to family members they have harmed.
What to Expect During Family Counseling
During the first session, the therapist will ask many questions to understand more about the family’s dynamics, communication styles, and goals.
Working with a therapist each family member feels comfortable with is essential. If you don’t connect with a therapist, consulting with a second or third professional is perfectly acceptable. Many families try more than one therapist before finding one who feels right.
A typical session lasts around 50 minutes. The number of sessions your family attends will vary according to your specific needs and how many members are participating in therapy.
Your therapist may use a variety of therapeutic modalities and approaches. Some of the most common types of family counseling include:
- Functional Family Therapy – Used to address complex behavioral problems
- Multisystemic Therapy – Focuses on improving interactions
- Transgenerational Therapy: Addresses negative behavior patterns that exist across generations
- Structural Therapy – Focuses on day-to-day problems with the family structure
- Brief Strategic Family Therapy – Focuses on helping family members interact with one another
Most therapists do not exclusively adhere to only one therapeutic approach. A combination of styles, techniques, and treatment approaches is needed to give families the tools they need to flourish.
Insight Recovery Center Offers Family Counseling Services in Ashville, NC
If your family is struggling to overcome emotional obstacles, or if you need support while a family member receives treatment for a substance use disorder, Insight Recovery Center is here to help. Our family therapy program helps family members work through conflicts and improve communication.
We understand that when a member of the family is struggling with addiction, it changes the function of the entire family system. Those negative changes don’t have to be permanent. Call Insight Recovery Center today at 828.826.1376 or reach out online if your family could benefit from our therapy services.