For your loved one to get through drug or alcohol rehabilitation, the support of family members is crucial. But who looks after the family?
At Serenity, we acknowledge the significance of the role families have to play in the recovery process. We also know how the recovery process can impact the lives of family members and all those who care about the individual.
The rehab process is an admittedly difficult one to manage and face alone, which is why our family support programme is so important.
Our family support programme delivers support in the right places to help families and loved ones get through the rehab process. We have a dedicated family liaison team who will be there to help you and answer your questions.
Our family support programme will help you:
- Learn about the disease
- Learn about the treatments
- Understand your loved one’s needs
- Avoid stigma
- Help your loved one after rehabilitation
Family involvement in the rehab process is also beneficial for our clinics. It allows our counsellors to gain input from you, learn about your family’s dynamics, and will encourage your loved one to continue with their treatment (sometimes, a patient knowing their family supports them is the push they need to complete rehab).
Support for families of inpatients
For individuals who enter inpatient rehab, we invite families to participate in regular workshop sessions at the clinic. Led by an experienced team, these sessions are an excellent opportunity for you to discuss your concerns, get your questions answered, and gain a good understanding of what your loved one is going through.
These workshop sessions are designed to strengthen the family unit, educate family members about the illness the individual has, and lift the lid on rehab therapy so that when the individual comes home, the family can discuss it openly. Families will also learn how to make important lifestyle changes to benefit the individual.
Support for families of outpatients
For individuals who enter outpatient rehab, family home therapy sessions are available throughout the rehabilitation process. However, it may be best to meet somewhere private if the patient is at home. This is no problem. Families might also be invited to sessions at the clinic, depending on the programme.
Phone counselling
If families or individual family members are unable to attend workshop sessions at the clinic, phone counselling and video counselling is made available as an alternative.
For many families, a combination of phone counselling and in-clinic counselling is the best option to suit their personal and professional life.
With phone counselling, sessions are designed to be short and concise to ensure everything discussed is understandable.
Phone counselling is also a powerful support tool after rehabilitation because it can help families adjust to normal living after the programme. Ultimately, this is all about delivering support in the right places to benefit the family and patient.
What does family support involve?
Family support revolves around planned workshops / sessions that are designed to educate families and strengthen the family unit.
For those who cannot attend these workshops, phone and video chat sessions are available to make them as convenient as possible.
Whether they are delivered in-clinic, at home or over the phone, family support sessions have a guide topic to address. The topics aren’t personal or intrusive. They are designed to educate, inform and guide families through rehab so they can help their loved one and keep their family unit as tight as possible.
While ongoing patient support is provided by clinics and we ourselves provide one year of free aftercare, it must be acknowledged that families have the biggest role to play following rehab. This is because the individual will be surrounded by family.
At this stage, it is crucial that a family understands the role they have to play in the rehabilitation process which doesn’t end at the clinic doors.
By delivering the right family support in the right areas, we can lessen the family’s burden, increase helpful behaviour and help ensure a family has everything they need to cope with and support their loved one once they have returned home.
What can I expect from the process?
You can expect your family support programme to be educational and enlightening. Most people have preconceptions about the rehab process, and lots of families suffer from stigma which prevents them from discussing it openly.
Family support helps to break down these barriers and get families talking openly about addiction. This end result works both ways – family support delivered by experts helps families understand how their loved one’s substance abuse has affected them as individuals and as a unit, and it helps those same experts better understand the family’s dynamics so they can provide better help, care and support.
Want to find out more?
We will provide a comprehensive, well-structured family support programme that meets your family’s needs. We welcome you to call us on 0800 118 2892 to find out more about how we can support your family during rehabilitation.
