Family centred practice: Enhancing alcohol and other drug treatment outcomes
When working in the alcohol and other drug treatment sector, understanding and integrating family centred practice can significantly enhance outcomes for clients and their families. Families play a central role in supporting people affected by alcohol and other drug issues and often experience significant stress.
Family members can experience anxiety and concern about the health and wellbeing of their loved one facing alcohol and other drug issues, leading to feelings of helplessness and depression. They may face financial difficulties and disruption to family routines. Family relationships can be strained. It's understandable that families face chronic stress when they don't know how to support someone that they love and care about.
Families are usually closely involved in the lives of people experiencing alcohol and other drug issues but face significant barriers to accessing help for themselves. Recognising that the impact of alcohol and other drug issues often extends beyond the individual and affects families is an important element of effective treatment.
Importantly, family and significant others play a crucial role in supporting treatment adherence and achieving sustained recovery. A supportive social environment enhances treatment compliance, reduces relapse risk, and improves overall outcomes — it’s one of the most critical factors for success.
Engaging families in alcohol and other drug treatment can support people to meet their treatment goals and maintain gains and reduce alcohol and other drug use and related harm. At a family level, it can improve health outcomes, reduce depression, improve family and social functioning, and foster a positive social environment.
Lower levels of depression and stress within families are associated with increased collaboration and positive interactions in treatment settings, underscoring the importance of family wellbeing in achieving successful outcomes.
How we can help
It's no doubt that the thought of working with families can be intimidating, but we're here to help you gain the skills and strategies you need to confidently engage families in treatment.
Facilitated by our expert in families, Paula Ross, our Working with Families with Alcohol and Other Drug Issues workshop is designed to equip you with advanced clinical practice skills to work effectively with families. Developed from evidence based strategies and frameworks, this workshop will give you the ability to work with family members as clients in their own right or as participants in your work with individuals.
Learn how to expertly blend strategies from family therapy, motivational interviewing, and cognitive behaviour therapy into effective treatment when working with families with alcohol and other drug issues.
You’ll walk away from this workshop with practical skills that you can implement immediately:
- Understand how to engage families using a range of effective response options
- Learn how to support families to using a comprehensive model that can apply to any family dynamic
- Apply new strategies to help improve family cohesiveness and cooperation
- Learn ways to respond to complexities in working with families
Check out Working with Families with Alcohol and Other Drug Issues to learn more or book your place.
