Transforming your relationship with your family is a central and important part of the treatment process. We’re devoted to helping teens and their families build a partnership to overcome substance abuse, mental health disorders, and distressed family relations. It’s time to heal your family.
Sandstone Care understands the importance of involving and providing support for the entire family, not just the symptomatic member of the family.
Often, the teen is the one who is telling the world, “My family needs help!” by acting out and displaying negative behaviors. Through an immersive and experiential program, we are able to provide teens and their families a chance to begin the healing process. Family involvement is difficult and sometimes painful work. However, we believe that this work is crucial in order for treatment to be effective.
There is a variety of different approaches in family therapy.
It is important to work with a therapist that fits your family’s needs. Therapy is not one-size-fits-all; sometimes, it takes different approaches to find what works.
Some of the different types of family therapy include but are not limited to:
Structural family therapy works to identify the family’s problems and how family dynamics influence them, so they can improve relationships.
Strategic family therapy is centered around the idea that the family plays the most important role in a child’s life.
Systemic family therapy builds on the idea that the family dynamics impact each individual and the family as a whole.
CBT focuses on identifying unhealthy thought and behavior patterns and restructuring them to better reflect reality.
One of the main goals of family therapy is to support each family member and strengthen the family’s mental health and well-being.
Treatment without family is not effective. When a teen is struggling with anxiety or depression and/or begins abusing substances, it doesn’t just affect them, it affects the whole family.
Our team believes that it is impossible to have an optimal family situation and also be in active addiction or have an unmanaged mental illness. Without transparency and openness, it is impossible to allow space for change.
One of the biggest goals of our program is to shift perspective in order to encourage change and understanding for all members of the family.
We ask parents to be honest about what their home life is like, as well as what their lives have been like leading up to their teen entering treatment. We advocate for one thing above all else: dropping your pride and picking up transparency.
When a teen is struggling with mental health or substance abuse, the family dynamic is disrupted, and when they begin to heal, so does the rest of the family.
We help family members develop healthy boundaries because parents may become co-dependent on another family member or become enablers of their teen’s substance use without even realizing it.
EBTs are scientifically proven therapies that are guided by relevant data. Patient preferences are prioritized, which maximizes their options and adds flexibility to individual treatment plans. Evidence-based therapy is safe and consistent treatment, but most importantly, your recovery is not left up to chance.
Some additional benefits include:
The American Psychological Association created the policies for EBT using the best research available. Their studies have shown that these therapy treatments work due to the combination of clinical training and science.
Our licensed clinical staff is trained in therapy treatments that are proven to be effective. This means they had to learn and follow certain guidelines for how they provide care.
Since these kinds of treatments are scientifically proven to be effective, the chances of relapse are less likely. This means you’ll be able to save more money in the long run.
EBT requires specialized training in the different kinds of therapies. Treatment options aren’t based on the therapist’s mood, they are backed by training and scientific results.
Before attending family therapy, you may want to set some goals and realistic expectations for what you would like to achieve. Often, this is something you will talk about in therapy, but it is good to have an idea if there is anything you’d like to contribute.
During family therapy sessions, communication and relationship dynamics are addressed. Teens are provided tools to speak honestly with their parents about what has been going on. Parents are coached and supported by the family therapist to listen and respond appropriately.
Emotional regulation techniques are taught so that negative emotions such as anger, frustration and anxiety are experienced and worked through without damaging relationships.
Additionally, the primary therapist connects with parents weekly, providing updates on how the teen is doing in treatment. This includes how the teen is responding to therapy, any medication changes, interactions with other teens there and how much they are participating in activities.
The Continuum of Care
Access a full range of treatments for mental health and substance use disorders. Whether you need a safe transitional living community, inpatient care, or outpatient therapy, we have a program to help.
PARENT’S CORNER
It’s not uncommon for a teen to be resistant to changing their behaviors and to treatment. Though this presents a challenge to members of the family and treatment team, Sandstone’s clinical team still wants to help.
Teens are met where they are at, and simply asked to be transparent about their current emotions and actions.
In cases of resistant teens, family members are empowered with skills that help them to avoid enabling their teen.
Family members are counseled on appropriate ways to take care of themselves through challenging times, and on how to hold firm boundaries that promote healthy relationships.
Putting your teen into treatment takes a lot of courage and can be an extremely difficult decision to cope with.
During this time, it’s important to make time to take care of yourself. Mental health and substance use carry stigma with them, and Sandstone Care is working hard to dispel the stigma. A hallmark of mental health problems and substance use is isolation and shame.
Sharing with loved ones may be scary at first, but you’ll learn that you are not alone in the struggle. It is important to gather your teen’s input and decide as a family who will be supportive during the recovery process. Together, consider the right approach based on your family dynamics — every family is different. This step may be the most difficult to overcome, but it’s necessary in the healing process for your family as a whole.
During this challenging time, it is not only important for your teen to get help, but it is also important that parents get the support they need, in order to create a successful recovery for the whole family unit. Support can come from unlikely places. Getting your own therapist, couples counselor, or finding a local support group for mental health or substance use can be helpful while your teen is with us.
As a parent, you want to do whatever it takes to ensure the wellbeing of your teen. When faced with a challenge, it is easy to become codependent with your teen, living and breathing all the ups and downs of their life. It is also important to live and enjoy a life separate from the challenges they may be facing. Isolating yourself may feel like the only thing you can do, but it is crucial to make time for yourself. This does not make you an unsupportive parent, but rather, a parent who is supportive in a healthy way. Both teens and parents need time to grow and flourish as individuals during the healing process.
Give us a call today and we’ll help you build a better life with family therapy for teens.
