Family Program – Multi-Systemic Drug and Alcohol Rehab
To facilitate and enhance the healing process, Cirque Lodge involves family members and loved ones in the treatment of residents. Family involvement is both an effective and integral part to the drug and alcohol rehab center, as well as the recovery process. Family involvement takes place in several areas, first off, instead of being in an addiction treatment facility where the families feel they have nothing more than “visitation rights,” we involve the families by getting extensive downloads about a client’s history. Secondly, families can be and often are involved in weekly therapy sessions with their loved one and the primary alcohol and drug rehab therapist. Last but not least every three weeks the family is involved in a 4-day family intensive program. This is center stage for our family program. We often say, “You’ll come for your loved one, but you will stay for yourself!”
When a loved one comes to Cirque for alcohol treatment or drug problem, family members are called immediately upon admission to assure the family that your loved has arrived safely. Typically you will get a call from the primary therapist in the first 72-hours so they can introduce themselves and hopefully get a history about your perception of why your loved one is in care. The first 72-hours of your loved one’s care is dedicated to assessments and treatment evaluations at Cirque Lodge. Family members are then, with their loved one’s permission brought into the treatment process either through phone sessions or through weekly face to face sessions. We believe there is more traction gained with family than at any other portion of our alcohol or drug rehab program.
Family Program
As we mentioned above the Cirque Lodge Family Program is in our belief the most powerful aspect of healing and recovery in addiction treatment. Family members whether we admit it or not are deeply influenced by their loved one’s drinking, using, or co-occurring disorders. Family behaviors can be and are an influential aspect either positive or negative to your loved one’s abuse of drugs or alcohol. The Family Program helps to explore, address and deal with these concerns with a 4-day intensive week of therapeutic and educational sessions.
Family Week is held every three weeks. It begins on Tuesday with family introductions and the finest lecture concerning addiction as a disease available in drug rehab today. The week is made up of multi-systemic group therapy, individual session and experiential workshops. Our lecture on the “12-Steps and Recovery” is also considered to be the finest of the genre. The day begins each morning at 8:30 am with a Family Style breakfast. We believe in the importance of breaking bread together. Certainly something symbolic about it! The days are usually over at about 4:00pm. Our admissions department has more information on the schedule for upcoming Family Weeks.
Aspects Discussed in Family Programming Are:
- Meditation
- Enabling
- Codependency
- Disease Concept
- Family System Therapy
- 12-step Program
- Continuing Care
- Self-Care
Family Week Aspects
Education Aspects
Lectures and workshops during our Family Week are intended to provide those involved with the knowledge needed to put this disease into remission. Family members are usually unaware of what alcoholism or drug addiction is, as well as what it does to the brain and to our behaviors. Each day the Family Program at Cirque Lodge consists of different educational concepts to help the family better understand how to appropriately help our loved one, to avoid enabling, and to assist in the healing process.
Therapy Aspects
Multi-systemic family group and individual sessions with client’s and their families are scheduled during the program for those in attendance. Our caring and compassionate counselors work with the family members on being honest, open and willing with each other and establishing lines of communication. This is really very difficult for some of us but it is a very powerful and necessary piece for both healing and recovery. We believe unequivocally that the therapy program offered during our Family Week is quite simply the best in the addiction treatment industry.
Experiential Aspects
One thing that separates the Cirque Lodge drug and alcohol rehab facility from others is our use and involvement of experiential therapies. During Family Week, time is set aside for the family to take part in different experiential challenges and activities. While most programs concentrate on the talk therapies, we augment a strong cognitive behavioral program with the hands on experience of our experiential program. The experiential piece is always changing to provide those involved with new challenges for team building and relationship type exercises. Many of the activities teach us lessons way beyond an addiction issue. They are often the lessons of life!
Family in Recovery
A family in recovery will grow and heal together. It is inevitable! When a loved one completes addiction treatment they are like a train rolling down the track. Likewise, family members gain the same momentum by taking part. We never know what will happen to the families who come and participate, some get better and quite frankly there are those who don’t. But we always know what happens to those who don’t participate. None of them get better. There are many support groups out there for the families. Groups such as Al-anon/ Alateen provide a 12-step approach to living life for the family after our program ends, although our Family Week has a life-time participation clause! We have referrals to therapists and other programs that provide specific therapy for the family including groups in your area for those who suffer with severe co-dependency. If your well-being is dependent on the well-being of your loved one, you need to be in a Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) meeting tonight!
