Should My Children Get Therapeutic Help While I’m in Treatment?
Seeking help for your addiction can be difficult and stressful, especially with the added worries that can come with children. Finding the correct care and making sure they are having their needs met can make it hard for you to take the step to get treatment, especially if you are doing an inpatient program. Having the proper support for you and your children can take a lot off your plate. However, deciding what kind of support your children need and if that will include therapeutic help can seem daunting.
The staff at Next Level Recovery believes in personalized treatment plans that include family healing. They aim to ensure you and the people close to you get the help they need to return to life after treatment. For more information, email them at consult@nextlevelra.com.
Why Should I Get Therapeutic Help for My Child?
"It is estimated that more than eight million children younger than age 18 live with at least one adult who has a SUD, that is a rate of more than one in 10 children," according to a study published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services in 2010. Addiction affects everyone around you, including your friends, partners, coworkers, and children.
There are many reasons why seeking therapeutic help for those closest to you, especially your children, can benefit everyone. These reasons include the following:
Helps them cope and understand why you are seeking treatment
Helps bring to the surface any underlying issues or feelings they may not know they are experiencing or that it is related to your addiction
Allows them to discuss how your addiction has affected them with an unbiased party
Provides them a safe place to discuss any feelings they may have about you and your behavior while addicted
Helps them obtain effective coping mechanisms for the effects of your addiction
Allows them to discuss with a professional the idea that they may be more susceptible to becoming addicted due to their family history
Family Therapy
Family therapy decreases the conflict and friction between your family members by opening lines of communication and promoting positive interactions. Therapists specializing in family therapy focus on the interactions between the individuals rather than on the individuals themselves. They work to improve these relations by addressing the conflict rather than trying to identify a cause or blame for it.
This type of therapy can bring you and your children together using a mediator to effectively communicate how you both feel about the current situation and the past. It can help strengthen bonds with the resolution of these conflicts and by addressing underlying feelings. The therapist can help develop problem-solving skills to resolve disputes. They can help explain addiction and how it is an illness so your children can better understand it.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the mixture of how our beliefs affect our perceptions of events and how these perceptions can further affect our emotional and mental state. This therapy is used to understand the underlying causes behind our emotions and actions.
This type of therapy can help your child understand why they have the feelings they do about you and your addiction. It can also help with any mental health issues they may have due to their experience with your addiction, such as depression or anxiety.
Music Therapy
Music therapy uses creating, listening, and experiencing different music to help treat various psychological, emotional, and cognitive conditions. It can be used in conjunction with other therapies and on various people.
This type of therapy can allow your child to express themselves while addressing different feelings they may have about your addiction and treatment. It can also help bring emotions that have been repressed to the surface. This allows your child to address these emotions and handle them appropriately. The use of music can help people convey what they are feeling better than words. Music can also be used as a coping skill. When overwhelmed by emotions, they can turn to music as a peaceful place to go.
Art and Dance Therapy
Art and dance therapy are similar to music therapy.
Art therapy uses different techniques to address emotions and help your child. This can include drawing, sculpting, painting, or photography. It allows your child to express how they feel when words may not be enough or when they can't find the correct way to convey themselves with words alone.
Dance therapy uses different dance techniques to express help express what your child is feeling and as an outlet for them to release any pent-up emotions.
Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a family disease. The people close to someone with an addiction need to heal as well. This will help them and, in the end, help you on your recovery journey.
Seeking treatment can be difficult, especially with children. You have to worry about providing care for them and ensuring they will still get everything they need while you are in treatment. Getting them therapeutic help can help them understand why you are seeking treatment and the changes they can expect. It can also be an outlet for how they feel about the situation and their take on it. They can confide in an individual outside the situation who is unbiased. We at Next Level Recovery can provide a personalized treatment experience to ensure you get everything you need to thrive in your journey. For more information, email us at consult@nextlevelra.com.