Family Member Treatment Program
At the Valley Hope Association we believe that chemical dependency affects the entire family. Family members, and significant others (SO), often need help understanding the disease and what they can do to help themselves as well as the identified patient. We also believe that the chemically dependent person's best chance for recovery occurs when the family member or significant other is involved in the recovery process.
To best serve our patients, we encourage family members to participate in the Valley Hope treatment program while their family member or loved one is a patient at a Valley Hope facility.
Family members and significant others are encouraged to participate in the patient's treatment for as much of the patient's stay as possible. Past experience for residential patients has shown that stays of up to two weeks are often the most effective. In addition, Valley Hope welcomes and encourages family members and significant others of patients attending Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) to attend sessions as well.
A day of service for a family member may include some or all of the following:
- Individual sessions: This session is an opportunity to meet with an addictions counselor, either one-on-one or with your family member/significant other.
- Small group session: This is a counselor led group in which 12 or fewer patients and family members together explore their emotional responses to addictions and consider positive ways of managing those emotions.
- Lecture: This is an interactive lecture presented by one of Valley Hope's trained staff. Various topics are explored including a close review of the 12 steps, personal responsibility in recovery, behaviors that are conducive to recovery along with emotional and situational challenges in recovery.
- Hot Seat: This is a form of group therapy in which attention is focused on the observed strengths and weaknesses of a particular patient. The focus is on how the patient is perceived by peers in the treatment milieu.
- Patient Hour: This is a group in which assigned patients are given the opportunity to discuss their addiction and their past experiences along with their present goals and hopes for their future.
- Family Group: Family members, significant others meet in a small group setting to discuss how addiction has impacted their lives. There is a focus on the 12 steps of Al-Anon and how those steps provide a path for personal recovery.
- Marital Group: This is a small group therapy for couples who are married or in committed relationships. The group explores the challenges that are inherent in such relationships with a particular focus on particular problems that arise from addictions.
