Substance use and mental health disorders don’t just affect one person – they affect everyone who cares about and interacts often with the one suffering. Addiction is called a family disease because of the damage it can do to communication and trust; mental health disorders can create confusion and anxiety and result in family members working at cross purposes. If you or someone in your family is suffering from a substance use disorder (SUD), grappling with mental health challenges, or dealing with co-occurring disorders, consider family therapy services in Denver, Colorado, at Mile High Recovery Center.
The benefits of family counseling can have a positive effect on the entire ecosystem of a family that is dealing with addiction or mental illness. From the youngest to the oldest people in a family, healing can begin in earnest when you enter the safety of the therapeutic space under the guidance of a professional counselor. Learn more about family therapy benefits, what family counseling is like, and how to access family therapy services in Denver, Colorado – call Mile High at 303-268-2144 or use this online form to reach out.
What Is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is group therapy under the guidance of a trained clinician and in which the group is comprised of family members. When you are enrolled in addiction rehab, one of the evidence-based options is family therapy, in which you and your close family work together. Family systems therapy is often at the core of family therapy and is based on the understanding that a family’s internal dynamics can affect the well-being and behaviors of all members of the group. If one or more family member is suffering from addiction or a mental health disorder, understanding those dynamics and their impact can help that person, along with the family as a whole, find healing.
Therapeutic modalities that are often incorporated into family therapy include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
Five Benefits of Family Therapy
In a family therapy program, all participants benefit. Below are some of the key areas in which you and your family will experience benefits when you engage in family counseling at Mile High Recovery Center.
- Communication – When someone is struggling with a mental health or substance use disorder, a breakdown in communication often happens early on, before anyone really knows what is going on. Improving that connection among the members of the family is a clear family therapy benefit. The counselor will work with all of you as you forge healthy ways to interact, learn to face rather than avoid communication, and create boundaries that can help everyone feel both safe and empowered.
- Compassion – Even when the love is there, people often simply do not understand what addiction or mental illness is like, which makes it difficult to feel compassion. The person who is dealing with a SUD or mental health disorder may struggle to feel compassion about what it is like for their loved ones. They are the one suffering, aren’t they? Why should they try to meet everyone else halfway? But in family therapy, these misconceptions and misunderstandings can be resolved and compassion fostered, which creates connection and heals division.
- Boundaries – Often in families in which one person is struggling with addiction, PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, major depression – really any mental health issue, there is a breakdown in healthy boundaries as the needs of the one override the needs of the many. The family often bends over backward to support their loved one, a situation that often devolves into enabling and co-dependency. In family therapy, everyone can learn to create boundaries that have a healthy effect on family dynamics.
- Trust – Trust is one of the first things to erode when a family member has an addiction and may lie, steal, or cheat to enable their disorder. Depending on the diagnosis, mental illness can create a lot of confusion and misunderstanding that can lead to a loss of trust as well. These issues can be explored safely and with empathy in a family counseling setting as you rebuild trust.
- Healing – Family therapy benefits everyone. The most profound benefit of family therapy is that it significantly improves the long-term outcomes for the one whose mental health and/or addiction recovery treatment includes family counseling. The healing that can happen with the healthy support of close family in a therapy setting is remarkable.
Learn more about the benefits of family therapy. You and your family can establish or re-establish and maintain positive, loving relationships that will help everyone into the future.
Family Counseling Benefits at Mile High Recovery Center
The staff at Mile High Recovery Center is standing by to answer your questions and help you figure out if family therapy is right for you and your family. Don’t wait to reach out and begin your healing journey. Call 303-268-2144 or use our online form to talk to an experienced professional.
