Absolutely! Successful substance abuse treatment will include the family when possible.

The family often plays a central role in treatment for substance abuse disorder. Family Therapy does not look at just an identified patient as Substance Use Disorder Treatment often does. If there is a qualified and trained family therapist on staff at the treatment center then family therapy might be conducted differently than if there is not. Regardless, the family’s involvement in treatment is critical.

Treatment effectiveness can be improved when the family is involved in treatment. It is important that the individual abusing substances focus on themselves when they are in treatment. However, they should also spend time exploring how they exist and function within the context of their family, how their use and the positive changes might impact their family, as well as their role in their family system since family issues might have contributed and maintained the individual’s substance use.

It is a very good idea to continue family therapy even after your son leaves residential treatment. The therapist can help you determine the length of treatment needed. As far as what to expect from the sessions, it depends on who the therapist is. Therapists have their style, and not all therapists at treatment centers are trained in actual family therapy. There might be family involvement in therapy sessions, but it is not always family therapy that is occurring.

If you or someone you know is experiencing addiction, developing an adequate treatment plan is essential to achieve recovery. A free service like Freedom From Addiction can be of help to explore the different treatment options available.

Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out to us at Freedom from Addiction for more information.