Family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that brings loved ones into treatment to improve communication, rebuild trust and support recovery. At Lotus Recovery Treatment Center in Thousand Oaks, family therapy and couples counseling can include your partner, parents or adult children during addiction or mental health treatment.
What Is Family Therapy?
Family therapy focuses on improving relationships among family members, with a licensed therapist guiding the sessions.
While you may have heard about family therapy for issues such as grief/loss, adjusting to a new life change or relationship conflicts, they also exist for substance use and mental health disorders.
For instance, addiction is a family disease, affecting each member in the unit. As a result, it’s not uncommon for family members to engage in unhealthy behaviors that contribute to substance use. When families receive the support, guidance and education they need, they learn how to create a healthier, happier home that is conducive to recovery, helping to break the cycle of addiction.
The same is true for mental health disorders. If someone in the home has depression or anxiety, the effects often trickle down to other family members. Mental health issues can lead to emotional strain on the family, poor coping mechanisms and role changes, such as children taking on caregiving roles while parents become overly involved in an adult child’s life.
Family therapy takes place with a trained mental health professional who has specialized knowledge in working with families. Some of the issues they can help with are stress, anger, communication issues, trauma or coping. To learn more about family therapy and how it can help support the recovery process, contact Lotus Recovery Treatment Center today.
Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy, so sessions use proven counseling methods rather than general advice. At our Thousand Oaks center, family counseling often runs alongside individual therapy, which helps when anxiety, depression or substance use is affecting the whole household.
How Addiction and Mental Health Affect Families
There was a time when people believed addiction or mental health issues to be individual problems, affecting only the person in distress. However, we now know that this is not the case. Mental health and substance use disorders affect the entire unit.
Here are some of the impacts they can cause:
- Financial obstacles
- Lack of boundaries
- Disrupted relationships
- Neglecting
- responsibilities
- Role changes
- Stigma and shame
- Poor coping mechanisms
- Increased risk of
- substance use
Examples of Unhealthy Family Roles
Family roles are crucial as they can significantly impact the well-being of individuals with substance use or mental health problems and the overall family dynamic. Here are some examples of family roles that exist in households with addiction and/or mental health issues:
- Person with substance use/mental health disorder. This is the person who is misusing drugs or alcohol and/or struggling with their mental health. They are the focal point of the family.
- Caretaker. Also known as the enabler, this is the person who is protective of the person with addiction or mental health problems. They tend to make excuses for their loved one and may take on additional roles to keep peace in the household.
- Hero. Similar to the caretaker, the hero does everything in their power to keep the family together. However, they end up enabling the person experiencing substance use or mental illness. They tend to appear “perfect” to outsiders but suffer in silence.
- Scapegoat. The scapegoat is also known as the problem child, as they tend to display defiant behaviors at school, work or home. They often draw attention to themselves and may be hostile toward their family. Without intervention, these children often go on to develop their own unhealthy ways of coping.
- Mascot. Because families with mental health challenges are often intense, the mascot aims to provide comedic relief to the unit. They try to make light of certain situations and tell jokes to alleviate stress. However, this can be an exhausting coping tool that stops the person from realizing the full effects of the issues at hand.
- Lost Child. The Lost Child is the family member who is quiet and alone. They tend to be younger siblings in the family that blend into the background due to the chaos they are living in. Even though they can be easily overlooked, the Lost Child often struggles with their own relationships and emotional attachments.
Why Family Therapy Matters in Recovery
Substance use and mental health affect the whole family, but families can work through it together and come out stronger. Family therapy helps by:
- Understanding and addressing family dynamics
- Identifying dysfunctional patterns
- Enhancing communication skills
- Expressing emotions in a healthy way
- Building a supportive environment
- Preventing relapse
- Recognizing codependency
- Promoting independence
- Restoring trust and fostering forgiveness
Couples and Relationship Therapy
Addiction or mental health struggles can leave deep cracks in a relationship. Broken trust, affairs, constant conflict or feeling unseen are common. Couples therapy gives you both a safe place to talk, set boundaries and rebuild trust step by step. Family therapy in Thousand Oaks can include your partner, your parents or your adult children, depending on what you need.
Relationship therapy at Lotus Recovery helps couples rebuild trust, set healthy boundaries and talk through conflict without falling back into old patterns.
Starting Family Therapy
Family therapy can break cycles that pass from one generation to the next. Sessions can include partners, parents, adult children or other loved ones, whatever your family looks like.
Call (805) 856-6690 to ask about family therapy in Thousand Oaks. Admissions is open 24/7, and most insurance is accepted.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is family therapy for addiction?
It brings loved ones into treatment so the whole family can heal, learn healthy boundaries or support recovery without enabling.
How do you cope with an addict in the family?
Set clear boundaries, avoid covering for them, get support for yourself and encourage treatment without shaming.
What happens in a family therapy session?
A therapist meets with you and your loved ones to talk through what is happening at home, improve how you communicate and agree on healthy boundaries. Each session has a clear goal.
Does the whole family have to attend?
No. Sessions can include whoever is willing and helpful, such as a partner or one parent. More people can join as therapy goes on.
Is family therapy the same as family counseling?
Yes, the two terms are usually used the same way. Both describe psychotherapy sessions where a licensed therapist works with family members together.
Can family therapy help with anxiety or depression?
Yes. When one person has anxiety or depression, family therapy helps everyone understand the symptoms, reduce conflict at home and support treatment.