Family Involvement
Family therapy engages both residents and members of their families in efforts to increase communication, and to support each other in recovery from an eating disorder, substance abuse, or other challenges.
Family therapy at Timberline Knolls focuses on more than just building an atmosphere of healing to support the woman after she leaves our treatment center. Our treatment approach also emphasizes supporting her family members in their own process of healing and recovery from the effects of the disease on each of them.
Family therapy begins with an initial meeting between a resident and her family therapist. Typically,this session focuses on establishing trust and obtaining history from the resident. Insights gained help the therapist to make a preliminary assessment of her family dynamics, and to determine which members should be included in family therapy.
The family therapist also attempts to build trust and obtain history from one or more members of the family. These sessions can allow for honest discussion of family rifts or sharing of sensitive history that may be critical to understanding the entire family system and to establishing effective boundaries.
The resident and all members involved will offer their input on goals to be achieved in family therapy during a woman’s stay at Timberline Knolls. Family therapists help to identify areas of family functioning that have been impacted by the disease and build an alliance with the entire family to facilitate healing in those areas. Family therapists also help the family to identify and build upon their unique strengths as a family unit. Additional family members, such as grandparents, adult siblings, and long-term partners may be brought into sessions as issues arise.