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Rebuilding Relationships During Recovery

A comprehensive addiction treatment plan often includes family therapy sessions to help restore the bonds that were damaged during a loved one’s addiction. A family therapy program in Nebraska is vital for rebuilding relationships when a person is working toward recovery from a substance use disorder.

Healing from addiction often requires healing broken relationships. If you or someone in your life could benefit from family therapy as part of a substance use disorder treatment program, contact Northpoint Omaha at 888.687.8014.

Rebuilding Relationships While Healing from Addiction

For many people who struggle with substance use, addiction can cause conflicts with friends, family members, co-workers, and others. Substance use doesn’t solely affect the person who has an addiction. It can lead to unhealthy family dynamics and severe emotional pain for those around the person.

For full recovery to take place, a holistic approach to treatment is necessary. This type of approach not only focuses on healing the physical aspects of recovery but also on interpersonal and mental needs.

This is because physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and interpersonal factors are all impacted by substance use. Therefore, they must all influence recovery, as well.

The idea is to create a “mirror image” of addiction, where recovery “reverses” the effects of substance use. If addiction created tension and unbalance within a family, comprehensive treatment that includes family therapy can undo that tension and unbalance.

What Exactly Is Family Therapy?

Participating in family therapy is one way in which patients can be supported as they work through recovery from substance use and addiction. Family therapy is designed to complement other therapies during addiction treatment, not replace them.

The core idea behind rebuilding relationships with family therapy is to promote healthy collaboration. Family members who work together can solve shared problems effectively.

Family therapy can also shed new light on important issues and help loved ones understand each other better.

Typically, family members will meet with a mental health specialist for one hour a week, but this can vary to accommodate the unique needs of the patient and their family. During sessions, participants work to understand each other’s behaviors, needs, and thoughts.

How Addiction Hurts Relationships

Those who are closest to the person with a substance use issue are the ones who witness firsthand the destruction addiction can cause. By participating in family therapy, individual therapy, group therapy, and mental health interventions, the resulting destruction can often be repaired.

Some of the effects that substance use and addiction can have on relationships include:

  • Blame, shame, and guilt
  • Broken trust
  • Fear for personal safety
  • Constant anxiety
  • Increased emotional distance
  • A lack of loyalty

Every relationship can be impacted differently. This is just a partial list of the effects of addiction on relationships.

Benefits of Family Therapy

The whole family can benefit from learning communication skills and coping skills to improve their relationships. There are many benefits of family therapy. It can help participants by:

  • Strengthening and improving relationships
  • Identifying problem areas within the family
  • Introducing strategies for resolving conflicts
  • Improving communication skills
  • Offering understanding and insight from different perspectives
  • Developing healthy boundaries
  • Building empathy between family members
  • Promoting problem-solving skills

In addition, rebuilding relationships with family therapy offers a better understanding of family dynamics, which can ultimately facilitate cohesion and deliver a home environment that functions in a healthy way.

Rebuilding Relationships: Moving Forward with Northpoint Omaha

Providing the support you and your family need during recovery is the main priority at Northpoint Omaha. Our family therapy program is one part of a comprehensive addiction treatment program that can promote lasting recovery and help you rebuild healthy relationships. Reach out to our team at Northpoint Omaha today at 888.687.8014.