Written by:

Lee Spinks

Medically Reviewed by:

Dr Mateen Durrani – MBBS, DPM, MSc, BCPsych

Last Updated:

September 30th, 2024

Family therapy

What is family therapy?

Family therapy is based on the understanding that families aren’t just a group of related people – they’re a unique system. How a family functions can have a big impact on an individual’s relationship with drugs and alcohol – and an individual’s use of substances can have a range of effects on the functioning of the family as a whole. By inviting the family to join in the therapeutic process with the person who is struggling with addiction, both substance usage and family relationships can be examined, treated and healed, leading to better outcomes for everyone.

At Oasis Bradford, family therapy is one of the treatment options offered as an intervention in our structured rehabilitation programme.

Family therapy for addiction

Many forms of therapy are available to treat the individual, but our relationships with others and the ways we interact with them are extremely important. This is especially true of addiction, where relationship dynamics can both have a role in facilitating and continuing addiction but also in recovering and healing from it. Family therapy is a valuable tool for examining these dynamics, understanding the environment addiction may have arisen from, and building a supportive environment that can help the person struggling with addiction do the work of recovery.

Family therapy isn’t just healing for the person who is undergoing addiction treatment. Addiction affects whole families, placing relationships under tremendous strain. Conflict and trust issues can occur as a consequence of addiction, and resentments can arise from behaviours that are exacerbated by addiction. Family therapy can bring these behaviours to light, examined and addressed. Often, these have only been previously addressed via conflict. Family therapy encourages non-judgemental, calm, but direct communication, which is much more conducive to mutual understanding and behavioural change.

Family therapy is also extremely useful for identifying enabling behaviours. It is not uncommon for family members to think they’re doing the right thing but actually participate in enabling addiction. This can take the form of protecting individuals from the consequences of their actions, downplaying the severity of these consequences, helping to hide an individual’s addiction from other people, and misplacing blame onto other people or situations instead of recognising the destructive elements of addictive behaviours.

Family members may not realise that their behaviour is helping to create an environment where addiction is being allowed to continue and where the person with the addiction is being protected from the true outcomes of their addiction. This will be revealed during the process of family therapy and will allow members to view behaviours in their true light and make meaningful changes.

Family therapy is effective and available no matter what kind of addiction you’re undergoing treatment for. Drugs and alcohol are the most common types of addiction treated, but you can attend family therapy for a range of behavioural and process addictions, such as internet, food or gambling. There is even family therapy for porn addiction.

Family therapy works with you and the people most important to you. This does not have to be your immediate family and partner – it can mean aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, or any person you’re close to.

The benefits of family therapy for addiction treatment

Family therapy has been shown to be a very effective form of treatment for people struggling with addiction. Several studies have shown that it’s especially effective for keeping people retained and engaged in treatment, lowering the dropout rate. It’s been shown to be especially useful for adolescent patients, but there are also strong effects in adult patients, such as the ones listed below.

• Destigmatising addiction: by discussing the realities of addiction in a non-adversarial, compassionate way, family members come away with improved understanding and empathy towards the person in addiction. The person in addiction can also gain empathy and understanding for family members who have been affected by their actions.
• Improved communication between family members: This leads to healthier family dynamics, reduced conflict and better overall family functioning.
• Addressing related problems: The focus of family therapy for addiction is not solely on substance misuse but also on improving relationships between all family members. This means related issues such as truancy, job struggles, mental health struggles and difficult behaviours can be worked on together.
• Improved boundaries: Addiction can thrive in environments where people have poor boundaries. Family therapy offers a neutral space to work on acceptable boundaries together.
• Relapse prevention: Strong support networks are a vital tool in relapse prevention, and by repairing and strengthening the most important relationships of a person in recovery, they gain a source of strength that will help them to face and beat their addiction.
• Addressing multigenerational issues: Addiction can help to break the cycle of drug abuse by addressing it in older generations of the family as well as in the person currently undergoing addiction treatment.
• Forgiveness: The work of family therapy is hard – but family therapy offers a forum to work through hard emotions, which leads to healing and forgiveness.

What to expect in family therapy for addiction treatment

The initial stages of family therapy will focus on you getting to know your therapist and them getting to know you and the family members attending with you. Your goals for therapy can be identified and set together. From there, you will work with your therapist in a variety of ways to achieve those goals.

During your time with a family therapist, you might work on:

• Discussing your goals and hopes as a family
• Verbalising your experiences and listening to the experiences of your family members
• Respecting each other’s contributions
• Valuing each family member’s beliefs, values and needs
• Tackling blame and finding constructive ways of working together
• Understanding the impacts words and actions have on other members of the family
• Exploring and valuing each family member’s strengths
• Talking about challenges
• Supporting each other as you work towards your own goals.

Do I have to attend family therapy to heal from my addiction?

Family therapy is a valuable tool for treating addiction and for improving familial dynamics and relationships – but you do not have to attend family therapy, and you will never be pushed to do so.

For some people, their relationship with their family may have become especially strained, and they or their families will not want to participate. The decision to undertake family therapy is deeply personal, and every person present needs to consent to the process fully.

If you don’t want to undergo family therapy, or you do, but family members don’t wish to do so, you can still receive effective and comprehensive addiction treatment. Family therapy is just one of many therapeutic options available in rehab. Many forms of individual therapy are available, while group therapy options are available if you want to attend therapy with others.

Family therapy at Oasis Bradford

Oasis Bradford offers a wide range of therapies and treatments tailored to you and your needs, so we can find the most effective way to help. Don’t struggle in silence – reach out today to access the help you need to achieve a healthier, sober future.