#FamilyParticipation

#AddictionRecovery

#PRCRecovery

Family integration and participation in the substance abuse rehabilitation centre is a very sensitive matter to us and a lot of effort goes into assisting the family to restore the family unit, understanding how addiction influences the family dynamics and the way forward.

A lot of relationships are broken due to certain behaviours of the individual, not having enough knowledge about the disease or a general sense of hopelessness. This is why addiction is called a family disease.

Addiction: A Family Disease

Recognizing that addiction affects not only the individual but also the entire family is a crucial step towards understanding the healing process. It is important to clarify that blaming the family is not the intention here. Rather, it is about acknowledging that the addiction of your loved one has a significant impact on the behaviours, habits, and emotional well-being of the entire family unit.

In response to the challenges posed by addiction, family members often develop adaptive strategies and coping mechanisms. It is natural for families to want to protect, defend, justify, rationalize, and rescue their loved one who is in pain.

Understanding the reasons behind your loved one's substance use and abuse is a vital part of the healing journey. Many clients deeply desire their families to understand that addiction, along with its consequences, was never their intention, even if they have sought help before. Just as individuals need to comprehend their path to addiction, family members can embark on their healing journey by recognizing that addiction is not a choice, but recovery is.

By acknowledging the impact of addiction on the entire family and seeking understanding, healing becomes a collective process. It is through this shared understanding and support that families can move towards greater resilience, recovery, and well-being.

Family Sessions

We deeply recognize that addiction is a family disease, and we understand the immense suffering you have endured, often surpassing that of a loved one. This insidious illness impacts the family in profound ways, leaving a trail of destruction through the unpredictable behaviour of the addicted individual. We acknowledge that you may have exhausted every avenue, from scolding and pleading to shouting and ignoring, leaving you feeling angry, isolated, and drained.

In light of this, we strongly encourage your active participation in the family counselling sessions and any other meetings arranged by our counsellors. These sessions are designed to provide ongoing support and valuable information to families and friends of individuals in early recovery, creating a safe and guided space for sharing emotions and experiences. We firmly believe that involving families in the treatment process contributes to improving the overall prognosis for your loved one.

We strongly encourage and invite family members to participate in our dedicated family counselling sessions. As an integral part of our comprehensive treatment program, these sessions specifically address the needs of immediate family members and significant others who have been deeply impacted by their loved one's addiction.

In addition to the duration of the primary treatment, we offer the opportunity for the continuation of family counselling sessions.

Admission

On admission, the emphasis is raised on the importance of family involvement. Here we discuss the program, what is to be expected in the program possible progress or challenges the individual might face in early recovery and how the family can help them through this process.

Family Education

Specialised information is sent to family members to specifically look at the key factors around substance abuse. This material will include topics such as understanding addiction, the family's role as a support structure, what is codependency and enabling, and how to set effective boundaries.

Family Counselling

Families are brought in for formal family sessions to discuss progress and possible challenges that are identified based on the progress reports the family have received. During these sessions, we may address certain factors that have been identified to improve family relationships such as effective communication and assertiveness.

Exit Session

With the exit session, we discuss overall milestones achieved during the program as well as possible challenges that might still exist. The aim is to discuss the aftercare plan in detail discussing the way forward to ensure long-term recovery. Please see our section on aftercare for more information.

Progress Reports

Detailed progress reports are sent to the family touching on different aspects within our program. These reports include:

Intake Assessment

The intake assessment is a summary of key factors identified that may form part of the individual treatment plan. It also addresses any areas identified that may warrant further intervention from specialists including psychiatrists, etc.

Treatment Goals Progress

This progress report first establishes each goal identified that is worked on in individual sessions. All goals are measured according to strengths, obstacles as well as outcomes. The findings as well as tools used are disclosed in these reports to help give clarity to both the individual as well as the family on what and why it has been identified and a way forward to accomplish these goals.

General Progress

The general progress report is aimed at looking at different aspects of our program and what we as a team have observed. These aspects include behavioural, emotional, social and family, psychological as well as their motivation for change which may address any possible denial or reservations still present which may impact their treatment going forward.