Family Program
Parkdale recognizes and treats addiction as a family disease. We encourage all family members to participate in our family program for the following reasons. Participation in our Family Program:
Provides staff with an opportunity to learn about the client’s family, observe family interaction, and gain input from the you and your family.
Models compliance with treatment – even when uncomfortable. If your loved one feels pressure to remain in treatment due to you or your family’s requests, he or she tends to maintain involvement even during periods of low motivation. This provides him/her with an increased level of motivation.
Creates a safe environment to verbalize your concerns, questions, experiences, and feelings related to your addicted family member.
Offers your loved one an opportunity to hear you and your family’s feelings and experiences.
Provides your loved one the opportunity to receive support from you and your family.
Gives you and your family crucial education and support from other families going through the same thing. It allows you to share anger, worry, confusion, and other emotional reactions with people who can directly relate and can help diffuse negative feelings.
Encourages you to attend additional counseling or support groups and helps educates you on how you can benefit from additional support.
Affords you a better understanding about your past behaviors and way of interacting with your loved one that should be avoided and which are considered enabling.
Provides you the self-care strategies so that all the recovery efforts are not simply directed at your addicted loved one. Understanding the importance of self-care for both the family and the one struggling in addiction is crucial to everyone’s healing. Participation is critical to the process. Families are always encouraged to share primary concerns and issues.
Family Program Topics
Co-dependency & Enabling | Healthy Boundaries | Science of Addiction | Stages of Relapse & Prevention | Shame & Guilt Process | 12 Step Programs | Return Home Expectations
Family Video Resources
Pleasure Unwoven – An Explanation of Brains Disease of Addiction -- By Kevin MCCauley | HBO Documentary – Addiction, Why Can’t They Just Stop | ABC Primetime – Family Secrets: Inside Addiction | Co-Dependency Overcoming Co-Dependency and Develop Healthy Relationships BY: Jeff Gazley, MS.,LMFT
Family Reading Resources
Co-Dependent No More – By: Melanie Beattie | Beyond Codependency – By: Melody Beattie | In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction by Gabor Mate and Peter A. Levine | The Mindfulness Workbook for Addiction: A Guide to Coping with the Grief, Stress and Anger that Trigger Addictive Behavior. by Rebecca E. Williams and Julie S. Kraft MA