Types of therapy
At Paracelsus Recovery, our treatment programmes include joint family psychoeducation sessions when desired or applicable. The aim of family psychoeducation is to provide family members with the resources and information they need to understand their loved one’s mental health condition or addiction so they can support them in their recovery.
What is family psychoeducation?
Family values are important to us as a family-owned business. We comprehend the complexities of family systems and how they influence and are influenced by the suffering of a loved one. For example, when someone is going through mental health or addiction issues, it can have an impact on everyone around them. Sadness, anger, guilt or fear can make it difficult for family and friends to understand how to respond appropriately to their partner’s, spouse’s, child’s or sibling’s illness. A lack of knowledge about mental health or addiction can exacerbate stress, resulting in arguments, a breakdown in communication and each member of the group feeling unsure of what to do.
Our family psychoeducation sessions are designed to give you and your loved ones the resources and information you need to overcome these challenges. Our core psychotherapeutic team explains to your loved ones what happened during your treatment programme, what they should expect and how they should prepare for your return to normal life during these sessions. During our treatment programmes, we offer up to three family psychoeducation sessions if they are recommended. It is important to know that the term “family” does not always refer to blood relatives. Instead, “family” can refer to anyone who has played a long-term supportive role in the client’s life. For example, it could be a manager, friend or partner. For an additional cost, we can provide traditional family or couple therapy.
What are the benefits of family psychoeducation?
Psychoeducation has been shown in studies to help prevent relapse, reduce self-stigma, improve relationships, increase self-esteem, and provide a variety of other benefits. For example, studies have consistently found that family psychoeducational interventions have a positive impact on families and reduce rates of relapse in individuals with psychotic disorders. It has also been shown to improve outcomes for people with schizophrenia.
Joint family sessions have numerous advantages, including empowering you to take control of your life and improving relationships and better communication with your loved ones. It also helps families to develop a better awareness of what symptoms to look out for in the case of addiction relapse, for example, so they can take action as soon as they see warning signs. Due to all these benefits, participation in family psychoeducation is strongly encouraged whenever recommended by our experts. However, we would never force family members to participate if it is against anyone’s wishes.
What’s the difference between family psychoeducation and psychoeducation?
Both psychoeducation and family psychoeducation are integral to our treatment programmes. Psychoeducation focuses on equipping the individual client with knowledge and tools to better navigate their mental health condition and ensure long-term recovery. In this way, the therapeutic intervention involves only the client themselves. However, of course, this has an impact on family members because it enables a client to educate their personal support network about their mental health condition. So while they can pass on knowledge to those around them, they are the only ones who are actually participating in the psychoeducation sessions.
On the other hand, in the case of family psychoeducation, the whole family unit is included in the therapy sessions. Family psychoeducation sessions equip not only the client themselves but also their loved ones with the tools and knowledge to overcome any challenges involved with navigating mental illness. It involves the whole family in the healing process, acknowledging how integral connection and community are to long-term, sustainable recovery.
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