Teenage Rehab - Family Therapy
The family unit is very important in every teen's life, whether addicted or not. A teen or any other family member remains attached to his/her family emotionally, especially at the teenage stage.
Family therapists at teenage rehab centers encourage and promote a teen's family participation in the treatment regime. For teens undergoing residential treatment, weekly visits by parents and other family members are organized as part of treatment procedure. Parents who for one reason or another may not be able to physically attend the sessions participate in the treatment sessions through phones.
The family therapy involves different treatment approaches, which include:
- Individual Family Therapy - This is intended to make the individual family members appreciate each other and help each other in overcoming challenges that may be present. Each family member is made to realize that a negative behavior on the part of one family member should not be used as an excuse to side line him/her. Instead, all the necessary help need to be sought to help the individual family member get back on track. The individual family therapy aims to encourage openness while at the same time promote healthy individual expressiveness.
- Family support - This therapy is intended to promote healthy communication between family members. A healthy and effective communication within the family unit has the capacity to promote a sense of belonging and an addicted teen will feel that he/she is still regarded as an important part of the whole family. The sense of belonging helps a lot in the recovery process as an addicted teen begins to appreciate other family members.
- Multi-family Therapy Group - In this therapy, a number of families are grouped together on a weekly basis. Through such groups, different families share their own experiences and concerns. They are then able to learn from each other on the experiences presented. Addicted teens pf such families also participate in the group therapy and they are able to know that they are not alone in the struggle to get treatment for their conditions. During the multi-family group sessions, family education sessions that focus on a variety of topics that are relevant to teen's recovery are presented.
The family therapy is a long process whose results cannot be expected to be realized overnight. The therapy can take several months to have a positive effect on an addicted teen. The therapy requires close cooperation between parents and teenage rehab counselors for it to succeed.
In most cases, family therapy is not undertaken on its own. It is undertaken together with other therapies that aim to transform and develop other areas of a teen's life. Family therapies are conducted by qualified and licensed marriage and family therapists specially trained to handle addicted teens.
However, the marriage and family therapists do not work alone. A teen may have complex drug complications that necessitate the need to bring in other professionals. Such professional will be called upon to address areas of their concern in collaboration with the marriage and family therapists.
The family therapy can be very expensive in terms of money and time. Parents need to constantly be on the look to ensure that their teens do not get involved in drugs and alcohol.