Addiction impacts the entire family, and Family Connections provides 7 weeks of psychoeducation and clinical support, helping families set healthy boundaries, communicate effectively, and build strong recovery systems at home.
Just like residential, PHP, or IOP, this treatment route is an essential part of the recovery journey, but it’s focused on helping families heal alongside their loved ones in a parallel process.
The Family Connections Treatment Package is open to families of clients who are in our residential or outpatient care in New York or Connecticut. If your loved one is not in treatment, you can still enroll in the program on its own.
Here’s what is included:
Week 1: Understanding Addiction.
Provides an in-depth psychoeducational framework on addiction as a chronic disease, exploring the neurological, psychological, and social factors that drive addictive behaviors.
Week 2: Communication and Healthy Expression
By learning to communicate more effectively, family members can create an environment that promotes openness, trust, and emotional safety, which is crucial for both recovery and familial harmony.
Week 3: Setting Boundaries
Families will learn to identify healthy boundaries and understand the critical distinction between enabling and supporting behaviors. This session equips family members with practical tools to establish clear, compassionate boundaries that foster accountability and encourage positive change while avoiding codependent patterns.
Week 4: Processing Trauma and Stress
Addiction often leaves lasting emotional scars on both the individual and their loved ones. This session helps family members process their own trauma, anxiety, and stress that may have been exacerbated by their loved one’s addiction. Clinical techniques will be introduced to help individuals navigate and manage these emotions, facilitating healing and emotional resilience within the family system.
Week 5: What You Can Control vs. What You Can’t
This week focuses on self-care and emotional regulation, empowering family members to understand what is within their control and what is not. Family members will learn to release guilt and anxiety related to things outside their control, such as their loved one’s behavior. This allows families to focus on their own health and well-being, strengthening their ability to support their loved one effectively.
Week 6: Preparing for Life After Treatment
Coming home after addiction treatment presents unique challenges for both the recovering individual and their family. Family members will receive tools for managing expectations, setting realistic goals, and preparing for the transition from treatment back to daily life. Strategies will be provided to navigate the challenges of post-treatment life and maintain a supportive environment that sustains recovery.
Week 7: Maintaining Family Health and Continued Support
The final session focuses on strategies for long-term family health and the ongoing support of the recovery process. Families will learn to cultivate a supportive environment that promotes sustained recovery, focusing on the importance of ongoing communication, care for self and others, and utilizing available resources. The session will also provide guidance on seeking additional clinical support when needed to ensure continued success in both individual and family recovery.
