Learning About Attaining Stress Relief Through Counseling

Is Your Family Still Struggling With The Aftermath Of Your Addiction? 3 Tips To Bring Everyone Closer Through Counseling

When someone in the family has an addiction, it is common for everyone to be impacted. While you were actively doing drugs or drinking excessively, your relationships with your spouse and children likely became strained. You may have also discovered that the different reactions of your family members to your behaviors may have created distance between them as well. For instance, one family member may have built up resentments about your behavior while another one felt led to give you support. 

Either way, you've noticed that things could be better in your family even with the improvements that have come with sobriety. Marriage and family therapy is designed to help you overcome the issues that accompany addiction, and you can use these three tips to help everyone get the most out of your sessions.

Be Willing to Be Vulnerable

During your addiction treatment, you may have already learned how to open up to strangers. However, things can feel very different once you sit down in a group to talk among your family members. During your therapy sessions, you may hear things that hurt you emotionally as well as things that lift you up. Your counselor will help to guide each one of you through difficult moments so that you can reaffirm the love that you have for each other. However, this can only happen when you are willing to be vulnerable and express yourself to your family while welcoming their feedback.

Do Your Homework

Your therapy sessions are not the only place where you will have breakthrough moments. Your therapist may also provide your family with activities to do together and alone at home. For example, you may be asked to journal about your feelings or to spend time with a specific family member engaging in an activity. Make sure to do these things since the results may be a topic that is used to help you heal during an upcoming session.

Give It Time

Your sobriety has taken time to achieve, and you must also remember that healing relationships requires everyone to go through different processes of thinking. You most likely won't change your family dynamics in the first sessions, although it would be great if you did. However, you should notice some improvements slowly occurring over time. When one of your family members demonstrates a change, hold on to these special moments in your mind. Over time, you will all begin to heal and rebuild a stronger and more emotionally healthy family.

For more information, contact an office such as Andrea Brandt Therapy.


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