Those who have ever struggled with mental health know having a support system and strong relationships can help significantly. At Southern Live Oak Wellness, we believe the families and significant others must also have their needs met to treat our clients in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, we prioritize our family programming in Atlanta. With these services, we guide families to a better understanding of mental health and how to best support one another.
Available Family Programs in Mental Health Treatment
Family programs are services available to families of mental health clients that may consist of counseling, therapy, and group discussions. The goal is to strengthen relationships among family members through effective communication and mutual respect. Not every mental health treatment facility offers family programs, but they can be incredibly beneficial for family members and clients.
Since there are often barriers to family participation, facilities should offer flexible family programs. For example, with varying schedules, evening group sessions can be beneficial to get the family together. In addition, mental health facilities should prioritize open communication among family members while advocating for family involvement.
Why is Family Support Necessary?
According to a 2021 article in Singapore Medical Journal, family engagement is associated with clients’ improved self-reported quality of life. Furthermore, family engagement can lead to better client outcomes. For example, clients had fewer relapses and hospital admissions, as well as improved experiences with medication.
Since we’ve helped many clients through their struggles with mental health, our team agrees family participation and support are essential in the healing process. The need for family participation is partially due to the complexity of mental health disorders and the challenges clients face when communicating their struggles to family.
During residential treatment for mental health disorders, some of our clients may be confronting their mental disorders openly for the first time. they also gain a deep understanding of their mental disorders and learn better communication and coping skills. Therefore, even the most supportive family members may not fully understand their loved one’s mental disorder and coping tools until the family receives guidance about the disorder themselves.
In addition to a client’s family learning about their loved one’s mental health disorder, family support groups give family members the opportunity to express their feelings as well. Since mental health disorders have such a profound impact on everyone’s lives, it’s not uncommon that a family has been impacted by behavioral changes and concern for their loved one. Family programs help to build a foundation for continued healing after a client returns home from residential treatment.
Our Family Programming in Atlanta
We offer an integrated approach to mental wellness, including both traditional and holistic therapies. At Southern Live Oak Wellness, our goal is to educate, support, and assist all individuals. We work alongside our clients towards independence, self-fulfillment, and a sense of hope and happiness in their lives.
SLOW Features Family Night
On the third Wednesday of every month, we offer SLOW Family Night. This program works with clients and their families to find a common solution. We began doing Family Programming because we observed a strong need for the services. Often, there need to be more boundaries within the family unit and a complete understanding of individual needs.
During this Family Night Programming, the first hour is a visitation for the residential client, followed by a two-hour family therapy session. We believe this to be incredibly effective for the client’s and family’s success.
We introduce family members to Southern Live Oak Wellness through the needs of our clients. Therefore, they have an understanding of what our program offers concerning their loved one and what the projected treatment goals are regarding the treatment program. However, we don’t want it to end there.
We want the families to not only be familiar with the facility and the treatment program of their loved ones, but we want them actively to participate in the wellness journey. In doing so, the entire family also begins to find solace, boundaries, and a deeper understanding of their loved ones.
The Family Support Group
Our family program in Atlanta also offers a family support group. This service is a blend of current and alumni family members that have a loved one who is either currently in treatment or attended treatment.
The family support group provides psychoeducation on mental health, substance abuse, and the process of treatment. In addition, this group gives families a chance to learn, process and create a community of support with other families experiencing simile struggles.
Our family support group meets every Monday from 6 to 7 PM. This is located at 1535 Mount Vernon Road, Dunwoody, Georgia 30338–Group Room 2. We also invite families to join our family support Facebook page.
Benefits of Our Family Program in Atlanta
With our family night and family support group, we help our families continue to learn wellness concepts and strengthen relationships. Families who participate not only help their loved ones but also realize goals of their own during the healing process. Because the nature of the external world is one of constant flux, it is imperative that families find consistency and peace.
Our highly experienced team of professionals understands the challenges of mental health disorders. In fact, we aim to develop a deep understanding of each client’s circumstances during treatment. Because we become invested in our client’s recovery, our team advocates for family involvement. Southern Live Oak Wellness helps clients and their families develop a base of support. Understanding mental health and coping with disorders is essential to the wellness of the entire family system.
Rebuild Connections With Our Family Program in Atlanta
With our family program in Atlanta, we encourage you to spend some time focusing on your needs and using this time to reflect on your internal process. We are dedicated to helping our clients and their families find hope, serenity, and growth. As a result, relatives can deepen their bond or establish boundaries in order to thrive.
If you or a loved one needs family support while coping with a mental disorder, contact us today.
