Support forFriends & Family
Do you have a friend or a family member who is struggling with addiction? Currently in treatment? Or working on their recovery?
If so, you may benefit from therapy.
Addiction is a family disease, meaning that it affects the entire family whether or not you ever pick up a drink or a drug. That being said, we all play a role in both the addiction and the healing process.
Do you feel hurt, angry, scared, anxious, resentful, overwhelmed, etc. as a result of your loved one’s addiction?
This is totally valid! It is incredibly distressing to watch someone you care about go through that experience, even traumatizing. Unfortunately, only YOU can heal from the hurt you’ve experienced as a result. Even if they make an amends to you at some point, it will not heal these wounds.
Do you feel left behind as your loved one has experienced their own healing as a part of their recovery process?
You wanted them to get better. You wanted them to go to treatment, or start going to meetings, etc. But as they have started to get “better”, maybe it feels a little like you’ve been left behind—as they move forward in their recovery, you remain the same. I can help support you through parallel shifts so that you your individual healing can support the health of your overall relationship.
Do you want to feel better? Do you want to support your loved one in their healing/recovery process?
It is possible for you to feel better, whether or not your loved one is doing better. And when you work on your own individual healing, it can support the overall healing of the family and therefore support your loved one’s own recovery process. And I an help you with that!
Or maybe it seems like your loved one is so deep into their addiction that they are pulling you in with them?
I can help you learn to assert challenging, but important boundaries to help protect yourself so that you can maintain the capacity to support your loved one in a way that feels sustainable for you.
Do you ever feel like your friends or family members try to offer support, but it just doesn’t seem like they really understand what you’re going through?
No matter what your current experience is, it is a unique one that is difficult to understand or empathize if you’ve never been through it. This can often feel lonely and isolating, which likely contributes to much of your stress. There is a community of resources out there to help and I am happy to help support you directly, as well as connect you
There are some community peer support groups that are helpful for friends and family as well!
You may also benefit from Al-Anon, a 12-Step group. Meetings are available online anywhere in the world, or in-person near you.
Or SMART Recovery Family & Friends program, a program based on a combination of Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Meetings are available online anywhere in the world.