Family Therapy for Substance Abuse

SA affects the user and the user’s family and it is crucially important for the family to be involved in treatment. 

• Stigma for mental health and substance abuse issues impact the individual as well as the family. 
• The family can act as a risk factor. Family dynamics can contribute to substance abuse among children and adults. 
• The family can and often should be involved in therapy. This helps the recovery process and prevents substance abuse. 
• Marital and family therapy can be effective reducing the severity of substance use, lowering marital & family conflict, improving family communication/cohesion, and improving parenting.

We use Family-Based Interventions to focus on family communication, cohesion, conflict, and parenting practices.

• Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) targets adolescent substance use in conjunction with psychiatric disorders. There are difficulties treating young adults with multiple impairments, such as school failure, family dysfunction, antisocial relationships, substance-abusing peers, high-risk sexual behavior. MDFT allows us to target multiple issues at once.
• Treatment focuses on systemic changes, skill building, improving communication, problem solving, enhancing positive family & social activities, and making non-substance use rewarding. 
• We aim at lowering substance use, improving family relations, better work outcomes, treatment adherence & retention, and long-term maintenance of progress. 

Gender and culture are often significant to an individual’s recovery. 

• Adolescent girls may need addiction support for abuse, abandonment, and depression. 
• Women and adolescent girls can benefit from trauma-based approaches to ensure family environments are safer & healthier. 
• Family interventions can effectively reduce intimate partner violence and reduce child exposure to domestic violence. 
  

Appointments