At least 25% of the population belongs to a family affected by an addiction disorder in a first-degree relative. According to the Federal Reserve’s annual report on the economic well-being of U.S. households, one in 5 Americans now know someone personally who has suffered from opioid addiction, and at least 25% of the population belongs to a family affected by a substance use disorder in a first-degree relative. The data also suggest that up to 90% of individuals with active addiction live at home with a family or significant other. Family Therapy is a branch of psychotherapy that focuses on family‐level assessment to address the interdependent nature of familial relations and transform these complex relational patterns to promote long-term recovery. To increase efforts to advise state and federal governments about empirically-informed national alcohol and other drug strategy.To train the next generation of scientists in addiction research. Maintains recoveryanswers.org as a trusted source for addiction science with hundreds of consumable articles and useful resources.
- We often do our most effective work when family members make use of more than one service; for example, having a problem-plagued member work with one of us individually while the family overall participates in family sessions, workshops or intensives and/or the parents attend the parent therapy group.
- When occupying such a position, clinicians bring family members to their truth without guilt and second guessing.
- Facilitated discourse to increase awareness and education is the cornerstone of Family Therapy to allow for asking questions and to inspire dialogue among family members.
- Two systematic literature reviews conducted on the topic found that research on mandated treatment has been fraught with methodological problems.
Please peruse our website to learn more about our treatment model and the approaches we employ, the workshops we offer, our founder and clinical team, and the training services we provide to clinicians working with wounded families at any level of care. Kenneth Perlmutter, PhD, Founder of the Family Recovery Institute and a licensed psychologist (PSY25112) specializing in Family Systems, brings 30 years of experience working with complex psychological and behavioral health disorders. In 2008 he founded The Family Recovery Institute to provide multi-disciplinary treatment for individuals and families including dynamic therapy, family systems work, group therapies, healing workshops and clinician training. He has pioneered and validated a theory of family system woundedness with a corresponding recovery model he calls Stress-Induced Impaired Coping. This approach, uses encouragement and motivation to inspire a family member suffering from substance use disorder to seek out addiction treatment themselves. This approach, known as CRAFT (Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training) was found to be 2x more effective than the Johnson Intervention and 3x more effective than Al-Anon/Nar-Anon Facilitation, a 12-step mutual-help approach.
We need scientific research to improve the effectiveness of addiction treatment and recovery efforts, to find out what is and what is not working, and why certain pathways to recovery work for some individuals and not others. More than 35 states in the U.S. have civil commitment laws in place, that allow family members or healthcare providers to petition the court, to involuntarily send an individual with severe substance use disorder to inpatient addiction treatment to prevent serious harm. Research has shown that incorporating family members, family education, and family therapies into addiction treatment and recovery positively impacts both the patient and family members.
Jacqueline Perlmutter, RAS, DASD, Addiction Specialist, Spiritual Director
Dr. Perlmutter has dedicated his career to improving life in families with addiction or severe mental illness in their midst. Employing his model of Stress-Induced Impaired Coping and its companion recovery program, he has worked with hundreds of families since first doing so in 1990 at the Boyer House Foundation. Kenneth and his teams have been treating families caught in inter-generational cycles of addiction and mental illness for nearly 30 years. A small group of national-level treatment teams today incorporate the model and its engagement strategies for families.
Therapy engages participants in applying behavioral strategies taught during sessions, and teaches participants new skills and understanding of not only each other, but of helpful and harmful behaviors that work to either dissuade or support recovery. At the Recovery Research Institute (RRI), we present the evidence about addiction treatment and recovery. To enhance the public health impact of addiction recovery science through the summary, synthesis, and dissemination of scientific findings and the conduct of novel research.
Despite mixed evidence, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that individuals involuntarily coerced into addiction treatment stay in treatment longer and have similar outcomes compared to peers without legal involvement. Little research exists on the long-term outcomes of individuals who have been involuntarily committed. While there is a larger body of research available family therapy recovery research institute on the effectiveness of coerced or compulsory treatment in criminal justice populations, findings have been inconsistent. Two systematic literature reviews conducted on the topic found that research on mandated treatment has been fraught with methodological problems. Sign up for the Recovery Research Institute Recovery Bulletin to get the latest research in addiction treatment and recovery.
Dr. Perlmutter’s 2019 book, Freedom from Family Dysfunction is now available in paperback from Amazon.com!
Boundaries create clear expectations for behavior that can work to protect family members from substance-induced harms and support recovery. Substance use disorder is one of the most stigmatized health conditions in the world, and family members often also experience feelings of guilt, embarrassment, and shame related to a loved ones substance use. The formal development of Family Therapy began with the child guidance and marriage counseling movements of the early 1900s, and further materialized with the creation of the American Association of Marriage Counselors (now known as AAMFT) in 1942. From early influences of psychoanalysis and social psychiatry, a multitude of different and distinct schools of Family Therapy developed.
User reviews of smartphone apps to reduce alcohol use
- A meta-analysis found Family Therapy to be the most effective intervention for decreasing substance use in adolescents.
- The formal development of Family Therapy began with the child guidance and marriage counseling movements of the early 1900s, and further materialized with the creation of the American Association of Marriage Counselors (now known as AAMFT) in 1942.
- Research has found that continued familial conflict or continued substance use by family members can increase rates of relapse in other family members working towards recovery.
- Through individual consultation, group case conference, and clinician workshops The Institute provides tools for clinicians to demonstrate to their client families the difference between “unconscious enabling” (the most destructive form) and clear-minded decision-making.
Engaging significant others and loved ones in treatment increases the likelihood that the patient will stay in treatment and that treatment gains will be sustained after treatment has ended. Important education topics for family members include everything from the nature of substance use disorder and risk factors, to high quality treatment indicators and options, to learning about boundary setting, self-care, and identifying stigma. Whatever your family situation, one or more of our Family Systems-based formats will offer hope and healing. We often do our most effective work when family members make use of more than one service; for example, having a problem-plagued member work with one of us individually while the family overall participates in family sessions, workshops or intensives and/or the parents attend the parent therapy group. Our team meets regularly to review our cases, hone our skills, and maintain integrity and fidelity to highest ethical principles. Most family solutions provided these days for addiction or mental illness focus on the addict, the patient, and their disease.
The Institute offers Family Systems Treatment in several formats:
By the 1970s, the strict distinctions between different schools of thought began to soften, moving away from theoretical purism. Today, modern Family Therapy is often an eclectic mix of different strategies, techniques, and theories from across the different Family Therapy approaches. We translate the technical science of addiction medicine to allow audiences at every level of expertise to understand and engage with important findings.
Fun activities with others in recovery and building relationships with recovery role models is central to the recovery process for many. Dr. Kenneth Perlmutter, Family Systems Psychologist, brings more than 30 years’ experience to lead FRI’s dedicated clinical team and pro-vide direct services. By receiving training in administering the FDA approved opioid overdose reversal medication Narcan® (Naloxone), families can be better equipped to prevent the death of a loved one. The Addictionary is a glossary that can help family members identify stigmatizing words and offer alternative non-stigmatizing language.
Addiction can have a significant emotional toll on not only the individual suffering, but the entire family unit. The emotional reactions and experiences of affected family members will often vary widely, and also change over time. Commonly reported emotions from affected family members include feelings of abandonment, anxiety, fear, anger, concern, embarrassment or guilt.
Like the wounded family members we treat, clinicians get isolated, too.
Regardless of voluntary or involuntary treatment attendance, substance use disorder necessitates a system of care that acknowledges the complexity and long-term chronic, relapsing nature of the disorder. Without adequate self-care, personal resources can run low leading to mental and emotional turmoil, resentment, hostility, exhaustion, and eventually burnout. Systematically linking family members of someone suffering from a substance use disorder to family-focused mutual help organizations has been found to reduces stress and perceived problems. Through individual consultation, group case conference, and clinician workshops The Institute provides tools for clinicians to demonstrate to their client families the difference between “unconscious enabling” (the most destructive form) and clear-minded decision-making.
In controlled studies conducted primarily with parents and spouses of adults with substance use disorder, CRAFT has consistently produced higher rates of treatment entry for the person of concern (the loved one suffering from addiction). In the CRAFT approach, a therapist will work with the family or concerned loved ones to practice self-care, create an environment that promotes abstinence, and prepare a treatment and recovery plan in preparation for a time when the loved one is ready to pursue treatment and recovery. An important note to remember is that the effectiveness of addiction treatment involves a multitude of factors. This approach, sometimes referred to also as the Johnson Intervention, has been recently popularized with mainstream shows such as “Intervention,” but is known to be less effective than other strategies.
He has overseen the design and installation of the family treatment program for Bayside Marin, Morningside Recovery, Safe Harbor Treatment Center for Women, Casa Capri/Windward Way and other national-level programs. In addition, he conducts a twice-monthly therapy group for parents of troubled teens and stuck young adults and has historically conducted an annual healing workshop for families of the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, AZ. Parents of a loved one suffering from a substance use disorder may seek out individual therapy or counseling. Research has shown that parents benefit from treatment geared toward their own coping and well-being. Family Therapy involves the individual with a substance use disorder and at least one other person who is considered family.
