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FAMILY THERAPY FOR TEENS SUFFERING FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Parents who suspect or find out about their child’s addiction are usually left shocked, devastated and are at a loss of figuring out a plan of action to help their child. If you suspect your child is abusing a substance, a good starting point is to take them to your family doctor to screen them for substance or alcohol abuse. Being overwhelmed is a normal reaction. As a parent, blaming yourself might seem like the only reasonable explanation for you but you have to understand that the causes of addiction are complex and varied. And it is definitely not your place to analyze and try to fix such a delicate situation on your own. You are not a qualified professional to deal with such a complex issue. Such issues should be reserved for a specialized counseling psychologist to deal with.

Although addictions are a personal affair, it leaves a huge impact on not only the sufferer but also on his or her near and dear ones. While the shell-shocked feeling is, of course, something that doesn’t go away soon, another grave problem is the rift it creates between the substance abuser and the rest of the family. Particularly in the case of teens, parents start viewing their children with a mixture of shock, fear and suspicion. They do not know how to react, and the teens can see this in their eyes, further increasing their sense of alienation. It is at critical junctures like these that a typical counseling psychologist is needed. A good family therapist in Mumbai should be able to help out greatly in this regard. A family therapist will ideally have joint sessions with the entire family including the teens, their parents and siblings. The aim here will be to ensure that they all communicate with each other in a healthy and constructive way. You see, when something of this magnitude happens, the first thing that breaks down is communication. Due to feelings of pain and anger on both sides, the first conversations are usually fuelled by anger and things go only downhill from there. Once the psychologist or therapist initiates the conversation, it becomes easier for family members to talk openly. The therapist also acts as a support system for the teen who is suffering from substance abuse and makes them feel less alone. A guided attempt is made to understand what kind of issues resulted in things reaching this juncture. The therapist may also choose to have a one-on-one session with the teen because children may not be comfortable revealing many things to their parents directly. The end goal is to not only improve relations within the family but to also collectively figure out a plan of action to help the teen.

People believe having a therapist means you have a mental illness. But these days therapists work towards helping a range of people achieve what is known as mental wellness. Which is why you not only have family therapists but relationship advisors and marriage counsellors to help people with their problems.


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