Supportive Family Addiction Counseling in South Florida

At Beach House, we recognize that substance use disorder affects more than the individual using substances. Entire family systems can be hurt and even destroyed under the weight of a loved one’s addiction.

According to a 2017 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, nearly 50% of adults in the United States have a close friend or family member who struggles with a substance use disorder. This finding is consistent across political ideologies, genders, and races.

Substance use disorders affect entire families. Our addiction program helps families heal while providing needed support during their loved one’s recovery.

Without addressing addiction in the context of the entire family system, treatment won’t achieve positive long-term results. At Beach House, we believe involving the family in evidence-backed therapeutic interventions maximizes the potential for positive outcomes.

Continue reading to learn more about our addiction and family counseling services.

When your family is affected by substance use disorder, it’s not just your loved one with a drug or alcohol problem who needs love, connection, and support on the road to lasting freedom from addiction. That is why we created our family wellness program.

Family counseling for addiction is about prioritizing your wellness throughout a family member’s recovery journey.

Substance abuse impacts every family differently. The following issues are shared among the children and family members of people struggling with addiction

• Neglect or unmet developmental needs
• Attachment disorders
• Exposure to violence
• Economic hardship
• Housing instability
• Legal troubles

Additionally, the children of people with substance use disorders are at a significantly increased risk of developing an addiction disorder.

Substance use disorder is a disease of alienation, but relationships of love and connection are essential to recovery. Research has revealed that family support and involvement are directly tied to better treatment and recovery outcomes for people with substance abuse.

Based on this research, we developed our Wellness Program for families of Beach House clients and alumni to provide more recovery-related guidance, support, and involvement.

The goals of family counseling for addiction include

• Education and insight into the effects of addiction on your loved one
• Support and healing
• Improved communication
• Boundary setting 
• Relapse prevention 

Through our family-based program, we aim to strengthen communication with family members of those in our care so that they can have greater peace of mind and a sense of connectedness and involvement in their loved one’s recovery process.

Our Wellness Program is available to all family members of a loved one who is in treatment or has completed treatment at Beach House.

Our addiction and family counseling are unique in addiction treatment, where it’s not uncommon for families to feel excluded from a loved one’s treatment plan. 

Health privacy laws require that your loved one authorize any sharing of protected health information and give their signed consent to your participation in a program of this sort. Beach House requires a client’s signed consent to enroll their family members in the Wellness Program upon admission or at any time after.

But unlike many treatment centers that discourage communication with family members or the engagement of close relatives in a parallel recovery process, Beach House firmly believes that an open line of communication and greater engagement with family can improve long-term recovery outcomes.

Family members who participate in our addiction and family counseling receive the following services from a team of empathetic and experienced Wellness Coordinators

• A closer level of personalized guidance and support for recovery-related questions and concerns as they arise
• Referrals to family support groups like Codependents Anonymous and Al-Anon and other recovery resources
• An ongoing line of communication with our Wellness Team, which can start as early as within 72 hours of your loved one’s admission to treatment and can continue after their discharge for as long as you need it
• Access to a supportive network of other Beach House families through a private Facebook page that provides group members with recovery-related resources and opportunities to connect

We place a strong, research-based emphasis on the healing power of relationships of love and connection as the primary raw material for recovery—which shapes how we work with our families, whom we consider extended members of the Beach House family. 

There are various approaches to family therapy, each with its framework and techniques. 

Four of the most common types include

1. Bowenian 

Developed by Murray Bowen, this approach emphasizes understanding and addressing family dynamics and intergenerational patterns. Family members examine their roles and emotional triangles during therapy and work toward healthier relationships.

2. Structural 

Developed by Salvador Minuchin, this approach focuses on the structure of the family system, including boundaries, hierarchies, and power dynamics. Families work with an experienced therapist during therapy to reshape and reorganize dysfunctional family structures, often through techniques like boundary-making and reframing.

3. Systemic 

Systemic or family systems therapy looks at the family and how individual members’ behaviors and emotions affect the entire system. It emphasizes circular causality, where each family member’s behavior is seen as a cause and an effect of others’ actions. During treatment, a therapist helps family members gain insight into these patterns and make changes to promote healthier interactions.

4. Strategic 

This approach focuses on identifying and changing specific, problematic behaviors within the family. The goal is to disrupt established patterns and encourage change in a relatively short period.

Each of these family therapy approaches has its strengths and limitations, and the choice of which to use depends on the specific needs and dynamics of the family in therapy, which will be determined during your personalized sessions. 

Family therapy is a valuable approach involving family members’ participation in the recovery process. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the therapeutic techniques often incorporated into family therapy for addiction treatment, along with letter writing, role-playing, and communication techniques.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a widely used therapeutic approach that identifies and changes thought patterns and behaviors contributing to addiction.

In family therapy, CBT can help family members better understand the underlying issues and triggers that drive substance abuse in their loved ones.

Family members learn to recognize enabling behaviors and develop strategies to set healthier boundaries.

Letter Writing

Letter writing can be a powerful therapeutic tool in addiction and family counseling. Family members may write letters to their loved ones struggling with addiction, expressing their feelings, concerns, and support. 

These letters provide a safe space for family members to communicate their emotions and expectations, fostering open and honest dialogue.

Role-Playing

Role-playing helps family members practice effective communication and problem-solving skills in a safe and controlled environment.

Family therapy sessions may involve role-playing scenarios where participants take on different roles to experience various perspectives and responses to addiction-related issues.

The Wellness Program is tailored to ensure that within 72 hours of a loved one’s admission, family members will get an introductory call from a Wellness Coordinator, followed by two calls per week after that—until the loved one has completed the Beach House treatment program.

At the end of their loved one’s treatment program, which naturally can be a tense and potentially scary juncture for clients and their families, family members enrolled in the Wellness Program can expect to receive a call within 72 hours of their loved one’s discharge.

For the next three months after your loved one’s discharge, you will receive two weekly calls from a Wellness Coordinator. They will support you, answer any questions, and serve as a liaison to other recovery groups, providers, and resources as you transition into this next phase of early recovery.

At the end of the first three months following treatment, a Wellness Coordinator will reduce their call frequency to one every three weeks. After that, family members enrolled in the Wellness Program can expect to receive a call once monthly for a lifetime (or for as long as they desire).

Beach House Center for Recovery was founded on the belief that love and connection are instrumental in successful addiction treatment. 

We believe that a strong and united family system can help patients achieve long-term freedom from addiction. That’s why we provide customized treatment programs designed to empower patients and their families with practical addiction management tools and strategies. 

For more information about our family addiction wellness counseling or to enroll your family, please contact our compassionate admissions counselors today.