Importance of Family Therapy in Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is available as an open-access article. Involving family members in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment can positively affect client engagement, retention, and outcomes. Positive social/family support is related to long-term abstinence and recovery, whereas negative social/family support (e.g., interpersonal conflict, social pressure to use) is related to increased risk for relapse (Brown et al., 2015; Cavaiola et al., 2015; Moos & Moos, 2007; Worley et al., 2014). In addition, when compared to non-family-based models of counseling, family-based treatments aimed at reducing SUDs are associated with lower delivery costs (Morgan et al., 2013). This Advisory is based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrations (SAMHSA) Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 39, Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Family Therapy. It surveys basic factors for programs and providers to consider when implementing family-related therapy approaches, goals and processes for conducting effective family counseling, and resources for further learning about family therapy techniques and models. This course on family therapy in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors, who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate, and advanced level practitioners who wish to treat clients with substance use disorder with family therapy. The course material includes a literature review of interventions. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. Authors: SAMHSA Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information about family therapy and substance use disorder (SUD). Specifically, a professional will: Recognize the core objectives of integrated family therapy for SUD clients. Identify the key factors for assessing the appropriateness of integrated family counseling. Describe approaches to common challenges in family counseling for SUD clients. Citation: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). The Importance of Family Therapy in Substance Use Disorder Treatment. Advisory. Publication No. PEP20-02-02-016 Published 2021