Family Psychoeducation Therapy For Substance Abuse at Bedrock

Family psychoeducation therapy is a treatment approach designed to help families, caregivers, and individuals living with substance abuse to better understand the nature of substance use while working together toward recovery.

Social and family support are crucial predictions of sustained recovery, improved quality of life, and treatment retention for those living with substance use disorders.

Information and education provided to family members can significantly impact the course of a loved one’s recovery and progress through treatment.

What Is Family Psychoeducation Therapy?

Family psychoeducation therapy is an intervention that involves face-to-face instruction on the nature of substance abuse. The goal of family psychoeducation is to help prevent relapse.

Family psychoeducation therapy is designed to engage and educate family members so they can help the person living with addiction manage their treatment and recovery.

Psychoeducation And Family Systems Theory

Addiction negatively affects the entire family. Addiction is referred to as a chronic family disease and requires an effective family solution to treatment.

The family systems theory uses the complex connections between family members to understand family dynamics better.

This understanding can aid in bridging the gap between family addiction and family healing.

Psychoeducation serves an essential purpose in educating family members on the process of recovery and what the individual in recovery is going through. Psychoeducation also encourages communication.

It is only when each member of the family can express themselves honestly, safely, and openly that the family can come together to begin to solve the problem of addiction.

Core Components Of Family Psychoeducation

A few core components of family psychoeducation include developing an alliance, ongoing education, problem-solving, creating social supports, and developing coping skills.

Developing An Alliance

Family therapy requires building an alliance with each family member. Considering the family system and family interaction patterns is crucial for improving treatment engagement.

Family disorganization, inadequate family support, and low cohesion among family members may interfere with treatment engagement and overall treatment outcomes.

Alliance formation is needed to bond with each family member to increase their commitment to therapy and enhance outcomes for both the individual and family members.

On-Going Education

Ongoing education is a critical component of family psychoeducation. There are many phases to substance use treatment, including early, middle, and late stages.

The early stage may involve detoxification and relapse prevention strategies.

In contrast, the middle stage may include treatment with a variety of behavioral therapies and medication, and late-stage treatment may consist of aftercare, such as support groups.

Continually educating the family and keeping them involved in each stage of the individual’s recovery increases the chances of treatment retention and improved treatment outcomes.

Problem-Solving

Family psychoeducation therapy takes a problem-solving approach to engaging, motivating, and creating behavior change in the individual living with substance use.

Families are also taught how to apply their new problem-solving skills to future situations.

These problem-solving skills can be used to address problems within the family and how to handle high-risk situations for the individual to prevent relapse.

Problem-solving skills may also help the family assess how they may address relapse events or signs that the individual may be using drugs or alcohol.

Creating Social Supports

Social support is considered necessary in addiction recovery. Spouses, peers, and family members have been shown to play crucial roles in an individual’s addiction and recovery.

Social support can increase engagement levels in treatment programs for individuals.

Social support may also help an individual learn how to manage drug or alcohol use, solve other problems related to drug use, and cope with crises and emotions.

Developing Coping Skills

Family psychoeducation therapy may help both the individual in treatment and the family unit to develop coping skills.

Family members may use these skills to cope with the adverse effects of substance use. Learning new coping skills may also lessen the burden on the family and create a sense of empowerment.

Individuals living with substance abuse may also learn coping skills to handle high-risk situations that may trigger substance use.

The Role Of Family Psychoeducation At Bedrock

Family psychoeducation is used at Bedrock to help family members understand their loved one’s experience in treatment, so they can provide proper recovery support.

Our team discusses the ASAM spectrum of care, PAWS, and family support groups.

Education On Substance Abuse

Family psychoeducation at Bedrock provides education on substance abuse, including the stages of treatment, how we treat co-occurring disorders, behavioral therapies we use, signs of alcohol abuse or drug use, etc.

We also focus on providing education on the risk factors that may cause substance abuse, mental health treatment relating to substance use, the prevalence of substance use, and other topics.

Communication Skills Training

Telehealth therapy sessions with the individual’s family are used to practice communication skills within the individual’s support system.

In recovery and treatment, communicating honestly with your family members, spouse, and friends provides opportunities for you to grow personally.

Effective communication allows you to share your feelings with others so they can offer you support throughout the recovery process.

Setting Boundaries

Clinicians at Bedrock facilitate telehealth therapy sessions with the individual in treatment and family members. The goal of these sessions is to identify and practice healthy boundaries.

Sometimes, setting boundaries can mean avoiding certain places, situations, or people that may contribute to substance misuse.

Boundaries also help to distinguish your needs from others and help you prioritize your well-being.

Supportive Interventions

A variety of supportive interventions may be used in combination with family psychoeducation therapy, such as group therapy, one-on-one sessions with a treatment provider, and other treatment services.

Group therapy is provided at Bedrock treatment centers with inpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment plans.

These groups aim to make members feel validated and supported by others with similar life experiences.

Individuals may also have one-on-one sessions with a healthcare provider to discuss various topics and provide case management.

This may include discussing tools for relapse prevention, facilitating phone calls to family members, especially for adolescents and young adults, underlying mental health problems that may warrant dual diagnosis treatment, etc.

Integration With Other Treatment Modalities

Family psychoeducation therapy may be combined with various other modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), and other behavioral health treatments.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapy for individuals living with substance and may also be used to treat co-occurring mental illness.

CBT focuses on how thoughts can influence your mood and how to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based treatment approach that can be used to treat drug abuse.

This technique is used to resolve ambivalence about drug-related behaviors that prevent change.

Learn About Addiction Treatment At Bedrock Recovery Center

If you or a loved one are seeking substance use disorder treatment, we can help.

Contact our treatment team at Bedrock Recovery Center to learn more about how we apply family psychoeducation therapy in substance abuse treatment as well as other treatment options.