Family Therapy in Atlanta

Atlanta family therapy can be an important and powerful tool to support loved ones in addiction treatment. It helps to create a healthy and supportive environment for the addict to recover, and it also helps to strengthen bonds within the family by working through problems within the family system that were influenced by addiction.

Addiction not only impacts the individual life but oftentimes negatively impacts the family system. It is paramount for loved ones to seek out family therapy alongside loved ones in addiction treatment.

What is Family Therapy?

Family therapy treats the effects of addiction for the family as a whole in a supportive and encouraging environment. Turmoil is oftentimes caused from addiction within the family, including a range of negative feelings and emotions. Addressing the impact on the family system is essential to a person’s long-term recovery.

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What to Expect During Family Therapy

There are a range of topics approached within family therapy sessions, which include:

1. Different behavioral problems that have been caused by negative interactions

2. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental health concerns

3. Issued of unemployment, or dropping out of school

4. How negative interactions, poor communication, and negative behaviors influence both addiction and family dysfunction

5. New, positive ways to communicate and interact

6. How rebuilding a healthy family unit can create a strong support system for everyone

Discussing these topics for possibly the first time may be difficult; however, it helps to create healthier relationships within the family system. The end goal of family therapy is to build a more supportive environment for the addict to be more successful in their recovery. Some addicts may benefit from staying within their family unit during drug treatment while others benefit from temporarily staying at their treatment facility instead.

A quality family therapy program will offer comprehensive treatment that helps to manage addiction and to help every member of the family heal and grow together. It should focus on identifying and correcting a number of different problems, which may include:

1. Negative communication habits, which can include criticism, passive aggressive behavior, and yelling

2. Unhealthy habits within parent-child relationships, including skewed perceptions of the relationship by both parties

3. Denial about substance abuse issues, especially when used to hide problems rather than addressing them

4. Anger issues within the family, including directing these emotions toward other family members as a way to deflect blame.

5. Unrealistic expectations for recovery that may cause anxiety within the family.

6. Overall negative behavioral patterns that cause stress.

The overall goal of family therapy is to help all members understand how and why their family dynamic is unhealthy, how it has influenced or was influenced by addiction, and how it can be changed to improve the family system as a whole.

Addiction and the Family System

Family therapy and family support help to encourage the positive aspects of the family dynamic to help a person overcome addiction. A strong family bond helps create a built-in support group for all members of the family system, especially for the member struggling with the addiction. It helps to identify and address any negative situations or behaviors that may influence addiction recovery.

Benefits of Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment

Family therapy is massively important because addiction and alcoholism affect families in huge ways. By being able to discuss feelings allows for the family system to be more open and creates better avenues of communication. For people in addiction recovery who have already lost or given up on a connection with their family, therapy can still help rebuild a relationship. At Detox ATL, we offer family therapy in our alcohol detox and drug detox programs, so individuals can find the strength needed to maintain recovery for the long term.