Family Therapy

Contact Time Wellness Detox today to begin addiction therapy in Arkansas.

How Can Family Therapy Help in Mental Health Treatment?

Addiction is sometimes referred to as a “family disease” because of the profound damage it can inflict on spouses, partners, siblings, children, and other loved ones of the person who develops the disorder.

Though mental health conditions aren’t typically described this way, there is no question that anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and other concerns can have a similar effect. Viewed from the opposite angle, a history of family dysfunction can be a contributing factor to a person’s struggles with mental illness and compulsive substance use. Family difficulties can also be an obstacle to successful recovery.

In other words, unresolved family problems can make life more difficult for people with mental and behavioral health disorders, and untreated mental and behavioral health disorders can be harmful to entire families. Family therapy can address both of these challenges.

As with all types of treatment, the specific benefits that people receive from family therapy will depend on the needs and expectations they bring to the experience. But speaking generally, examples of the many ways that family therapy can help include:

• Educating family members about the condition that their loved one has been living with and how it has affected them. Mental illnesses can sometimes cause people to act in ways that are confusing or frustrating to those who care most about them. Explaining the influences behind these behaviors promotes compassion and understanding.
• Discussing the progress that the individual has been making in treatment, and identifying concerns that are relevant to the family therapy participants.
• Demonstrating how family members can best support their loved one while they are in treatment and after they have returned home.
• Providing a safe and supportive environment for family members to process how they have been affected by their loved one’s struggles. This can include helping them express their emotions in a healthy manner, validating their experiences, and giving them the tools they need to begin to heal.
• Addressing communication problems, ongoing conflicts, and other challenges that have prevented the family members from functioning in as a more cohesive unit – and then working together to develop strategies to remedy these problems.

Types of Family Therapy We Provide

Family therapy is a general description that can apply to several distinct approaches, including:

• Systemic family therapy – Addresses the ways that behaviors by individual family members can affect the family unit
• Structural family therapy – Focuses on family dynamics, or the ways that family members interact with each other
• Transgenerational family therapy – Explores the impact of maladaptive behavior patterns that participants may have inherited from previous generations
• Psychoeducational family therapy – Gives family members the opportunity to learn more about specific disorders and treatment
• Cognitive behavioral family therapy (CBFT) – Adapts the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy to apply to problems that affect entire families

The Role of Family in Residential Treatment

One of the many beneficial features of residential treatment is the environment itself. 

When a person enters a residential treatment program, they will be spending 100% of their time at the center where they’re receiving care. This provides them with a temporary respite from the stresses and distractions of daily life, so they can focus their full attention on their treatment and their health.

However, entering a residential program doesn’t require a person to be completely cut off from those who care about them. Family members can play an important role in their loved one’s life throughout their time in treatment.

The specifics of family involvement during treatment can vary depending patient need and program policies. But common ways that loved ones can help include:

• Supportive phone calls and emails
• Regular visits, either in person or through a videoconferencing platform
• Getting regular updates from their loved one’s treatment team and providing necessary information and feedback when requested
• Participating in family therapy, education sessions, and other support services
• Learning how they can support their loved one’s continued recovery after they transition out of treatment
• Joining family-focused support groups, either in person or online
• Seeking therapy for themselves

What To Expect During Family Therapy

If you’ve never participated in family therapy before, you may be apprehensive about what your experience will be like. While no two therapy sessions will ever be identical, when you take part in family therapy in Arkansas, you should expect:

• A safe and respectful environment. Emotions can sometimes run high during family therapy, but the professional who leads the session will ensure that the conversations don’t devolve into arguments or personal attacks.
• Open and honest discussions. Family therapy works best when all attendees are active participants. You will be encouraged to share your thoughts and to listen attentively when others are speaking.
• Multiple perspectives. People who have been through the same experience can be affected in different ways and have conflicting opinions about what occurred. Family therapy is a great chance to see both successes and challenges from other peoples’ viewpoints.
• A focus on solutions, not blame. You can’t get to a meaningful solution without discussing what when wrong in the past. But acknowledging inappropriate behaviors or decisions isn’t the same as assigning blame. 

Why Time Wellness?

Here are a few of the many reasons why Time Wellness Detox in Arkansas may be the ideal place to begin treatment for an addiction to alcohol or another substance:

• While you’re with us, you will be in a safe and closely supervised environment under the care of a team of experienced and compassionate professionals.
• The members of your treatment team will be familiar with all aspects of the withdrawal process. This can eliminate fear of the unknown and help you maintain your motivation.
• Your detox team will also be prepared to address any contingencies that can threaten your health. The moment you experience any concerning symptoms, they can take immediate action to keep you safe.
• Depending on the nature and severity of your withdrawal symptoms, your treatment team may provide both medical and therapeutic support to help you manage any discomfort. 
• While you’re still in detox, you may be able to participate in therapy sessions to address co-occurring mental health conditions and help you begin to build a framework for successful, long-term recovery.
• We will document your progress, identify areas of ongoing concern, and use this information to recommend the most appropriate types follow-on treatment for you.

Family Resources for Mental Health

In addition to family therapy in Arkansas, other beneficial resources for loved ones include:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 
• NAMI Family Support Groups
• NEDA Resources for Loved Ones
• Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance
• SAMHSA Recovery Support Tool for Parents & Families
• Al-Anon Family Groups
• SMART Recovery Family and Friends
• Arkansas Division of Children and Family Resources
• ARKids Behavioral & Substance Use Disorder Services
• Arkansas Financial Resources for Families