Addiction is a family disease. Because of this, family counseling is considered an integral part of an individual’s treatment plan. Not only does this help heal essential bonds, but it also provides education and support to those with addicted loved ones. The Retreat of Broward is proud to offer family counseling in Florida, helping families facilitate healthy, meaningful relationships.
What is Family Counseling?
This division of counseling focuses on uniting family members to improve their bonds with each other and the functionality of the entire family unit. Families work with a licensed professional during sessions to identify and address critical issues healthily. Furthermore, family counseling seeks to improve communication and facilitate empathy towards one another.
For the most part, families do not attend counseling long-term. Instead, they partake relatively quickly to gain insight and improve habits. However, there is no limit; families may participate in family counseling for as long as they see fit.
Who Should Go to Family Counseling in Florida?
Family members are essential to an individual’s detox and rehab journey. However, these loved ones often need help, and addiction puts a strain on the entire family. Counseling allows them to communicate with their addicted, openly loved ones. At the same time, they’re learning constructive ways they can help. It also reduces the feelings of guilt and shame family members may feel.
Counseling is essential for those with an addicted parent. Being the child of somebody who is struggling with drug and alcohol misuse can be confusing and upsetting. These children may take on more stress than necessary and feel like they have been caring for their parents. Family counseling helps children and parents improve relationships while establishing proper roles and responsibilities.
What Role Does Family Play in Addiction Recovery?
Given the vital role family members play in recovery, it is important they know how to help their loved ones in a healthy manner. Unfortunately, it is common for the family members of those struggling with addiction to fall into toxic roles. Consequently, these might affect the unit as a whole. This can be very difficult for family members to accept or change as they do not always realize what exactly they are doing wrong.
Family counselors on a client’s treatment team can help them to see these negative actions from the viewpoint of their addicted loved one. It can help them understand and improve their behaviors and overall mentality. If someone is a family member who has developed any of the below behaviors, it is okay. Our family counseling in Florida will educate them as well as encourage them to sharpen their communication skills, to appropriately help their loved one.
Unhealthy behaviors include:
- Dismissing. Some family members are dismissive of their loved one’s addiction. Counseling can help them to take it more seriously. Furthermore, they are able to better understand what triggers an addict and make more of an effort to help.
- Enabling. The difference between helping and enabling can be difficult to distinguish. Examples of enabling include lending money or bailing an addicted loved one out of jail.
- Unhealthy Ways of Coping. Sadly, family members with addicted loved ones are often more susceptible to drug and alcohol misuse. This is usually spurred by the guilt, stress, and chaos associated with their loved one’s addiction.
Benefits of Family Counseling in Florida
Extensive research reveals the positive impact family counseling has on helping individuals find sobriety as well as helping families to heal from the emotional damage of addiction. Overall, providing individuals with a sense of unconditional support and love is the most important component of family counseling.
Additional benefits of family counseling can:
Build Trust
Sometimes, those with addictions act in uncharacteristic or inappropriate ways. These behaviors can be upsetting. As a result, they may lose the trust of their family members. Counseling allows loved ones to slowly regain trust as the individual grows in their recovery.
Help Establish Healthy Boundaries
Seeing a family member battling addiction can feel devastating. Desperately, loved ones want to intervene and help. Sadly, this help can backfire as it becomes enabling. Family counseling in Florida teaches ways that loved ones can establish healthy boundaries. This allows them to help without sacrificing their own health and happiness.
Promote Age-Appropriate Roles
As aforementioned, it is not fair for children to have to step in and take care of their addicted parent. This issue is important to address in counseling. That way, both the parent and child know what is expected of them moving forward. It not only lessens the amount of stress on the child, but helps the parent to understand how crucial it is that they change these unhealthy patterns.
Improve Communication
Having a space to openly communicate feelings and concerns feels freeing to both the addicted individual and their loved ones. Giving each family member a platform to use lays the foundation for honest dialogue. This improved communication is crucial to the mending of damaged bonds and the strengthening of important relationships.
Find Family Counseling in Florida Today
Addiction hits even the most resilient of families, leaving extensive damage in its wake. Family counseling in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area greatly helps those struggling with addiction. It also helps the people closest to them. If you and your family are ready to work towards a brighter tomorrow, The Retreat of Broward team can help. We also accept Anthem/Blue Cross and Aetna insurance to help cover family counseling.
To take the first steps towards a functional, happy family, give us a call or visit our admissions page today.
