Family Therapy in Addiction Treatment

Treatment for addiction is multifaceted and usually involves a variety of services and interventions. One such intervention is family therapy. In this article, you are going to get an in-depth look at family therapy, including:

• What it is.
• How it works.
• How it can help a family and someone who is struggling with an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

What is Family Therapy?

Family therapy for addiction treatment helps the family as a whole recover from the impact of addiction by helping all members make healthy, positive changes as the person in recovery heals from addiction.¹ Family therapy views the family as a system of different parts, with those parts being the family members.¹

Under the family therapy umbrella, there are a number of approaches that can be used to help the family address and recover from addiction. All family therapy approaches for substance use disorders (SUDs) view the person as part of a larger system; this system is comprised of family, community, society, and culture.² Family therapy emerged in the 1950s to help understand the influence of the family unit on a person’s physical, mental, and behavioral health.²

The approach that is used to treat the family is dependent upon factors that are unique to the person in recovery and the family system as a whole. Common family therapy approaches include:²

• Multisystemic therapy (MST).
• Systemic motivational therapy.
• Multidimensional family therapy (MDFT).
• Behavioral couples and family counseling (BCT).
• Behavioral family therapy (BFT).
• Brief strategic family therapy (BSFT).
• Functional family therapy. (FFT).
• Solution-focused brief therapy.
• Network therapy.
• Community reinforcement and family training (CRAFT).

How Does Family Therapy Work?

Family therapy works by helping members of the family change the way they perceive and respond to substance misuse, which leads to healthy changes in the family system as well as positive changes for the person struggling with an SUD.²

While the above-mentioned approaches may slightly vary from one another, they all share the same core values of working with the family system as a whole, and they all share core principles, which include:²

• Acknowledging the therapeutic benefit of working with members of the family unit.
• Adopting a nonjudgmental, collaborative approach where the family and counselor work together without blaming any individual member of the family.
• Reducing harm in other areas aside from abstinence.
• Expanding the definition and measures of “successful treatment” that includes the well-being and overall health of the family.
• Recognizing the importance of relationships within the family outside of the family (friends, coworkers, community).
• Emphasizing the inclusion of different family counseling methods to respect the cultural values of the family and society.
• Recognizing the complex nature of addiction and the importance of working with families to help people struggling with SUDs.

The process of family therapy can differ slightly depending on the family approach used; however, common family therapy processes are listed below:¹

• Starting family therapy when the person is actively in substance abuse treatment, as they are motivated to change.
• The leader of the family therapy sessions is a licensed mental health professional, such as a psychologist, social worker, counselor, and psychiatrist.
• The therapist may meet on an individual basis with a particular family member outside of family therapy sessions; however, this isn’t standard practice.
• Family sessions are usually an hour long and occur in an office setting; however, on rare occasions, they may take place at the family’s home.
• The therapist may require family members to sign a contract prior to the first session to establish ground rules for behavior and therapy.
• The focus of sessions can vary, and common topics that are addressed include solving a problem, tolerating a crisis, learning coping skills, and learning communication strategies.

Goals of Family Therapy

There are 2 primary goals of family therapy, and they are:¹

1. To help each member of the family provide healthy support to the family member in treatment for a SUD.
2. To strengthen the emotional health and well-being of the entire family unit so that each member of the family can thrive.

The therapist will help the family identify objectives unique to the family unit.¹

Common family objectives include:¹

• Moving from distrust to reconciliation.
• Working through guilt to obtain forgiveness.
• Overcoming stress to gain strength.
• Transitioning from frustration to understanding.
• Moving from despair to hope.
• Transitioning from sadness to support.
• Letting go of anger to obtain peace.
• Transitioning from a place of conflict to a place of agreement.
• Tolerating crisis to be able to transition to resolution.

Does Family Therapy Help in Addiction Treatment?

Research shows that SUD treatment that includes family therapy is more effective than treatment without it.¹ Family therapy can be applied in a number of treatment settings and at many points across the continuum of care for addiction treatment, including:²

• Inpatient residential treatment settings (short- and long-term).
• Outpatient treatment settings.
• Medication-assisted treatment settings.
• Aftercare settings.

Benefits of Family Therapy for Drug & Alcohol Addiction Recovery

As it relates to addiction treatment, family therapy has been shown to be effective for the person struggling with addiction, as it:¹

• Helps your loved one make the decision to enter an SUD treatment program.
• Encourages your loved one to remain in the SUD treatment program.
• Reduces the risk of your loved one dropping out of SUD treatment.
• Reduces continued use of drugs of alcohol.
• Promotes long-term recovery.
• Deters relapse.

Family therapy can also benefit individual members of the family and the family unit as a whole by:¹

• Making positive changes in communication and the overall family dynamic.
• Reducing stress in family members.
• Discouraging other family members from turning to drugs or alcohol.
• Improving the way couples treat one another.
• Promoting positive behavior changes in children.

Family therapy may also be used with other proven therapy methods and interventions, such as:^2,3

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy: Teach new ways of thinking as well as coping skills.
• Contingency management: Positively reinforce healthy behaviors.
• Psychoeducation: Teaching family members about addiction as a disease as well as behaviors that encourage abstinence.
• Support groups: Support groups exist not only for the person in recovery but the family members as well, and they include Al-Anon and Nar-Anon.
• Motivational interviewing.
• Meditation.

Does Insurance Cover Family Therapy in Rehab?

Insurance providers may cover family therapy, especially if you find a rehab facility that accepts your insurance and offers family therapy. In that event, it should be covered during your rehab treatment program. You should check with your insurance provider to determine your health insurance coverage for rehab.

Find Rehabs That Offer Family Therapy Near You

If family therapy is important to you or you think it may help your family recover from an SUD, you should identify a rehab facility that offers it. You can contact American Addiction Centers at or by visiting us online. Our admission navigators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can help you locate a treatment center near you, or you can use our online directory. Get the help you need today.

Other Proven Addiction Therapy Methods

If you or a family member is in need of a family therapy program for substance abuse, call to speak to a trained treatment support representative. This person can address your concerns and answer questions about treatment options. They can also provide information on ways to pay for services. You can also contact free alcohol abuse or drug addiction hotline numbers.

American Addiction Centers maintains a strong partnership with a large group of insurance companies at our addiction treatment facilities. Start the journey to recovery and find out instantly if your insurance provider may be able to cover all or part of the cost of rehab and associated therapies.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Addiction Treatment
• Motivational Interviewing for Substance Abuse Treatment
• Group Therapy in Addiction Treatment
• Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers
• Types of Treatment Programs