Family is important to you, and their involvement in treatment is important to us. Addiction breeds dysfunction in the entire family system, resulting in unhealthy patterns that must be addressed before you leave drug rehab. Because you will eventually return to your daily life and relationships, it is essential that family dynamics change along with you.
We establish contact with families upon admission, complete a family assessment, utilize family counseling as needed, and share continuing care plans with appropriate family members. Family members and significant others are also strongly encouraged to attend our three-day family program, which takes place every other weekend. This intensive program provides education, support and skill-building exercises to your loved ones.
Friday Schedule
A therapist teaches families about the disease of addiction, with a goal of taking the blame, shame and criticism out of recovery and dispelling myths that addicts are somehow weak or morally flawed.
The Camp’s clinical team educates families about the ways drugs and alcohol affect the brain, changing the user’s ability to think, feel and make rational choices, and answers each family’s questions about how addiction is affecting their lives. Families spend the afternoon with a therapist learning how to distinguish between codependency and healthy displays of love, how to spot behaviors that unwittingly contribute to the disease, and how to best support their loved one in recovery.
Families also benefit from the expertise and insights of outside speakers, including community representatives and recovering addicts. Understanding the disease of addiction is a first step in changing the way families view their addicted loved one.
Saturday Schedule
A certified drug and alcohol counselor prepares families for what to expect during their loved one’s stay in drug rehab and how to set goals and establish healthy boundaries. Patients are invited to participate in therapeutic exercises with the following goals:
- Understanding and embracing the disease concept of addiction
- Learning how to allow the patient to assume responsibility for their own recovery
- Learning how to access information and resources for aftercare support
- Adopting strategies for setting boundaries and supporting recovery
- Practicing and mastering effective communication skills
- Discovering how to tap into powerful support groups to allow healing for the patients as well as their loved ones
Sunday Schedule
Family therapy occurs in a group format, allowing families and patients to practice healthy communication skills in a supervised, therapeutic setting. For some, this is the first time they’ve been able to share feelings that have been bottled up for years. By sharing with other families, they discover they are not alone in their struggle.
After the group meetings, families can arrange single-family counseling sessions. Families are also invited to stay for the balance of each day for informal visiting and to participate in some of the seasonal activities The Camp offers, such as swimming, basketball, tennis and volleyball.
