Counseling addicted families

Although one person's addiction almost inevitably affects his or her family members, a surprising number of treatment models appear to operate under the assumption that an individual's addiction occurs in a vacuum. By not paying sufficient attention to preexisting family dynamics-whether dysfunctional, supportive, or somewhere in between-counselors run the risk of not fully understanding the roots of an individual's addictions or the obstacles to his recovery; as a result, counselors may undermine their own treatment efforts both by neglecting any underlying family problems and by failing to capitalize upon a family's potential assistance in an intervention with the addicted individual. In Counseling Addicted Families, Gerald A. Juhnke and William Bryce Hagedorn address this problem head-on. Recognizing that even those treatment providers who understand the importance of the familial context of addiction are often stymied by the variety of family treatment theories and their often imperfect fit for cases of addiction, Juhnke and Hagedorn provide a truly integrated model for assessment and treatment. Based upon the authors' combined 23 years of experience in clinical and treatment supervision, the Integrated Family Addictions Model consists of six progressive treatment tiers which organize the relevant family treatment theories into a graduated and coherent sequence, beginning with the briefest and least costly forms of therapy. If one of the lower tiers allows clients to reach their treatment goals, the patient and therapist need not waste time and resources following the full continuum. If, however, their needs are still unmet, they can progress in a logical fashion to more advanced and intensive forms of therapy. The book is divided into three broad topic areas designed to provide counselors and graduate students with essential information both about addictions and about the practical applications of various treatment theories. Part One discusses the prevalence of addictions, their negative impact upon families, and the primary existing addiction treatment models, including their limitations and benefits. Part Two outlines methods of assessment for individual cases, and Part Three presents the Integrated Family Addictions Model in detail. Along the way, the authors deal with specific interventions for families dealing with violence and dual diagnosis. The book concludes with an epilogue on professional training, which includes an overview of the major professional addiction and marriage and family counseling organizations, and the ways in which they might benefit individual practices and practitioners.