Preparation

Partnering With Families Affected by Concurrent Disorders - Facilitators' Guide

In Preparation:

• Adapting the program
• Choosing a delivery method
• Relationship of program to other family and consumer services

Relationship of program to other family and consumer services

It is important to keep participants oriented to the mandate of this group, which is not therapy, but education and support. Often, participants feel that the education and support groups have “therapeutic” effects on the ways they feel about themselves or behave in the world. But the groups should not be perceived as or promoted by the group facilitators as offering therapy in any formal way.

Family members may also be involved in more formal professional clinical services, such as individual, couple, family or group therapy. They may also be receiving pharmacotherapy. These can be vitally important resources to them. Group facilitators or members should not referee issues arising from these other involvements. Keep the focus on the primary purpose of the group and maintain a boundary around other activities.

One of the objectives of this education and support program is to help families understand and work within the addiction and mental health systems ( see Session 7 : Navigating the Treatment System). Resources (e.g., websites, books) and services for family members with concerns about addiction and mental health problems in a loved one can be accessed in person, via the telephone, or via the Internet (see Session 12 , you will want to add services in your own community). Often group participants have already had contact with services, with mixed results: in many cases with positive experiences and a desire to stay connected; in some, not so positive, and there may be wariness for the facilitator to overcome.

Planning for follow-up

Our experience suggests that some of the people who complete the group may want to continue to meet. Before their first meeting with group members, facilitators need to have a clear understanding of how much they and their agencies can contribute to ongoing activities after the end of the formal group program. Group members also need to understand what they are being asked to contribute. It is important to clarify if the group wishes to have formal facilitation or will take responsibility for its own continuing contact. Our inclination is to support family members taking as much responsibility as possible, with the facilitators taking as minimal a role as is feasible.

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Partnering With Families Affected by Concurrent Disorders - Facilitators' Guide

• Overview
• Working with families
• Preparation
• Implementation
• Evaluation
• Session Outlines
  • Session 1: Introduction
  • Session 2: Substance use problems
  • Session 3: Mental health problems
  • Session 4: How concurrent disorders affect family life
  • Session 5: Self-care
  • Session 6: Stigma
  • Session 7: Navigating the treatment system
  • Session 8: Medication
  • Session 9: Relapse prevention
  • Session 10: Crisis and emergency
  • Session 11: Recovery
  • Session 12: Saying goodbye
• References
• Resources
• Appendix 1: An Overview of the Research
• Appendix 2: The Partnering With Families Affected by Concurrent Disorders Project

• Print