Family Therapy Research Paper

Many participants engaged the group with stories of overcoming addiction or being sexually molested by family members as reasons behind their addiction. However all of their stories were compelling and empowering to the group of individuals who have seemed to endure some of the same sentiments as their fellow group mate. It appeared as if the individuals in the group even though that were court ordered appeared to be extremely engaged and very involved during the meetings. It seemed as though most who attended found peace and solice from the group during the NA meetings. As it stated by Krentzman, Robinson, Moore, et.al (2010), client’s state that their top two reasons for attending NA meetings were to promote recovery/ sobriety and to find support acceptance and friendships. One thing that I learned from the NA group that just as in AA, family support deems to be an important function on the perseverance of an addict and that the participation and involvement of family is detrimental in the treatment process for the addicts. In several of our readings many of the passages discussed the effects of family systems support as it pertains to substance abusers chemical addiction. The passages described the family system as being a detrimental part of the treatment process as well as for the treatment of the family as well. According to past studies, family involvement has aided clients in

According to the Bowen Center for the Study of the Family (2017), the family systems theory is defined as, “a theory that of human behavior that views the family as an emotional unit and uses systems thinking to describe the complex interactions in the unit” (para. 1). When applying the family systems theory to the family that I assessed, I found that this family lacks emotional support from one another. The children in this family feels as if their mother is choosing her addiction over them. Therefore, based on the family systems theory, this family lacks an emotional strong unit. If drug abuse was not a factor in the family dynamics, then they could possibly have a strong family

More importantly, newer research has investigated the importance of family-based therapy for adolescents who practice drug abuse. Research by Liddle et al. suggests that multidimensional family therapy reduces substance abuse, delinquency, risks for future problems, and encourages the protective processes more than group treatments over the course of one year (21-22). Although previous research on family-based

Gruber, K.J., & Taylor M.F. (2006). A family perspective for substance abuse: Implications from the literature. Journal of Social

As a recovering addict I know firsthand how my addiction affected my family. Addiction to alcohol or drugs is a disease; it affects everyone in the family, not just the substance abuser.

When an individual has a disorder with substance abuse and how family is involved, it can be a very uncomfortable situation for both the abuser and family members. When the abuser is an adolescent, the program may need consent from the adolescent before communicating with the parent, whether the communication is over the course of counseling or a one time communication (TIP 31). Both drugs and alcohol affects both sides because an addiction will create problems with communication. When one seeks help for his or her addiction, the entire family should be involved if

The prevalence of alcohol abuse/substance abuse is on the rise today. One of the biggest challenges facing our society today is dealing with the effects of alcohol/substance abuse in families. One can ascertain that alcohol/substance abuse can destroy not only an individual, but a whole family and even a whole community in general. This is a dangerous phenomenon that has made its way into many homes, leaving families shattered, hurt and left with nothing but anger.

substance abuse, the people are seen as nested in numerous systems . Kaufman (1999), highlights that an individual with a substance abuse problem , can have as members as his unique ecosystem, family members, peers , treatment providers, non family members from different sources or legal system.

Whether you have experienced substance abuse personally, within your family, or someone dear to you. You know that it is a disease that takes a toll on the whole family and support system. “Addiction is a family disease; abuse of drugs and alcohol greatly impact every member of an addicts family.” (pg 9.31) This quote taken from the text is a very true statement and it holds truth for every family member and individual who is trying to help his or her loved one find recovery, regardless of economic status, location, or family history. Someone who uses grosses his or her family in the struggle of addiction.

As it is not just Jim who is affected by his drink his family’s dynamic is greatly affected. The focus of family therapy treatment is to intervene in these complex relational patterns and to alter them in ways that bring about productive change for the entire family. As such, changes in one part of the system can and do produce changes in other parts of the system, and these changes can contribute to either problems or solutions. Providing services to the whole family can improve treatment effectiveness.

What I learned about myself that is that I am capable of understanding and grasping different concepts in family therapy. In addition, I learned that I am not as comfortable with experiencing my personal feelings about certain topics. What I learned about my family from these journals is how open some members of family would be to discussing their issues. In addition, I learned how each individual family member has his or her own problems. For instance, some of family members have either psychological or emotional problems that would benefit from the different therapy styles that were presented in the book. I also learned more about family history and structure from these journal exercises.

DATA: The client was invited to read a case study “Issues of the Recovering Family” which highlights some of the typical dysfunctions that occur in families that have been affected by the disease of addiction. Then, she was asked to compare and contrast the dynamics of her family to that of the case study’s. The goal of this group is for the client to gain awareness of how their behaviors have impacted those who are closest to them and to consider suggestions and any feedback regarding said implications.

Alcoholism has plagued individuals throughout history, and continues to be a strong underlying theme embedded into the lives of patients in counseling and treatment. For nearly a century, there have been treatment and recovery programs which focus on alcoholics themselves. But what about the family members who suffer the effects of living with someone who is an alcoholic? Often, children spend their entire youth and young adulthood dealing with the repercussions of having a parent who is under the influence. The research pertaining to adult children of alcoholics (ACoAs) is relatively new; the concept was recently coined in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was only then that researchers began to investigate the devastating and long-term effects parental alcoholism has on the rest of the family. Some researchers suggest that all ACoAs need treatment to some degree (Cooper, 1992).

When a family has a member with addiction with addiction each family and member is uniquely affected by an individual using drugs or alcohol. Affects can cause unmet developmental needs, impaired attachment, economic hardship, legal problems, emotional distress, and sometimes violence being perpetrated against him or her Lander, L, et al. (2013)

In essence, the substance abuser must realize that their continued overuse of alcohol is directly related to “the family's progression along a continuum from stability to a loss of control over events relevant to the family, employment, child care, and general family functioning” (Van Wormer, 2008, p. 203). The level of help or counseling that is received is dependent upon the effects of the alcoholism. For families that have undergone domestic violence or physical abuse, then behavior’s couple therapy (BCT) may be an appropriate first step. According to Cunion, Noble and Ripley (2006), “the goals of BCT are to facilitate motivation to change drinking behaviors, to enhance self-efficacy for both the alcoholic mate and their spouse regarding their ability to change maladaptive behaviors, to increase positive reinforcement for abstinence, and to teach new cognitive and behavioral coping skills in the maintenance of treatment gains” (p. 177). Add to this therapy, the Alcohol Behavioral Couples Therapy (ABCT) approach, in which the spouse participates in all levels of treatment that include high-risk situations and coping mechanisms (Cunion, Noble and Ripley, 2006). Another approach to family therapy is family relationships are the focus as a result of deep-rooted drinking (Cunion, Noble and Ripley, 2006).