Family Recovery and Substance Abuse

The problems of substance abuse affect not only the abuser but the people involved in his or her life. Family members and significant others often confront therapists, requesting recommendations on how they can contribute to the abusers recovery. The traditional attitude of therapists has been that the substance abuser cannot be helped until he or she is motivated. Therefore, significant others have typically been given little advice or guidance. Family Recovery offers clinicians a structured, research-based approach to working with significant others involved with substance abusers. Unilateral family therapy offers methods for therapists to improve the well-being of concerned significant others of substance abusers and to teach them how to restructure their relationship to the abuser in ways that may enhance the substance abuser's motivation to change. Family Recovery will be useful to both experienced clinicians and those who are training to be clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, family therapists, and substance abuse counselors.