This program educates all family members about the disease of addiction, how the illness affects the chemically dependent person and the impact that person's behaviors have on all family members and family systems. The program also supports the family as the patient re-enters his or her home environment.
Family programming provides opportunities for family members and significant others to:
- learn about the interpersonal dynamics of substance dependency and how to support the recovery process
- learn about Al-Anon, Nar-Anon and other support groups
- work through the personal issues created by the illness with the patients
This programming is especially critical in the case of adolescent patients to halt the destructive cycles just forming, facilitate change and achieve positive outcomes. There are combined group sessions for adolescent patients and families as well as parents-only therapy groups that help parents work through issues involving their relationships with their adolescents and get support for setting limits and boundaries in the family.
Family programming is provided on several levels:
- Individual sessions – for family members alone or combined family/patient sessions.
- Structured group therapy programs – for all outpatient programs
- Weekly lecture and education groups – for family members only, and for patients and families together; it is not necessary to have a family member in treatment at Talbot for certain groups
The Family Education Group
This group meets Thursday evenings at Talbot Hall, 6 - 8 p.m. and is a lecture and discussion group for family members and significant others only. The focus of the sessions is on learning about the disease of chemical dependency. This education group is a six-week series that addresses the following topics: effects on the family, recovery, relapse and the concept of the disease. No sign-up is necessary.
