Parental Involvement

A rehab facility that does not offer, or worse, does not allow significant parental involvement should never be considered.

Parents should be prepared to expect a range of emotional expressions during this transitional period, and because your teen may greet you with anger and or hatred, this does not necessarily represent truly felt emotions, and should never deter parents from continuing involvement in the rehab process.

Parents and siblings of the recovering teen addict need to participate in healing family therapy sessions. These sessions with a psychologist or addictions councilor help the teen and the family to better understand the abuse and the behaviors that have occurred, and help the family to heal some of the rifts caused by the behaviors of abuse. Although emotionally difficult and draining, family therapy in drug rehab teaches the family as a whole a better model for support of the recovering addict once back home, and helps to resolve any underlying family dynamics that may be contributing to the expression of abuse behaviors.

Education for the family is another important facet of rehab programming, and through educational seminars, parents come to better understand the progression and mechanisms of addiction and learn more effective discipline and support models most likely to allow for long term success and sobriety.

Peer group sessions with other families are beneficial to the family and adolescent addict alike, and through a mutual expression of the pain and heartache caused by teen addiction, there can be some measure of healing and better understanding promoted.

Phone calls and family visits are equally important, and your son or daughter needs regular parental support and encouragement throughout this very challenging and frustrating period of self growth. Even if this contact is difficult, it's very necessary and shows the recovering addict that family and parents offer unconditional love and support, and this can be the most helpful of all.