The most obvious victim of addiction is the person who directly struggles with it. But the effects of addiction extend far beyond a single person, especially if that person has a family or other loved ones. Relationship problems are often a hallmark of addiction, and it can be observed by the time the person who is addicted cannot control their use.
However, the effects that addiction has on other people can be mitigated. Damage may be done, but that damage can be repaired through family therapy in Thailand thought Orchid, a world-class treatment centre in Chiang Mai.
How Addiction Affects Marriage and Family Life
Addiction can cause strain in relationships. Many people can see a loved one’s struggles with substance use and get to a point where they become frustrated that their loved one isn’t able to stop using substances. They may not understand that a person who struggles with addiction has almost no control over their substance use.
Some substances may make a person more belligerent and confrontational. This can lead a person who struggles with addiction to lash out at the people who love them. This can leave loved ones with anger, trauma, resentment, or other negative emotions that can strain relationships. Family members can even end up developing problems of their own as a result of a loved one’s substance abuse.
Personalised Care at The Orchid Recovery
Because of the way that addiction can affect couples and families, our wellness centre offers family counselling services. These counselling services can help the relationships within the family system. It can help loved ones address the strain in their relationships and come together once again.
One of the most important parts of a relationship is communication. However, communication can break down throughout an addiction, and loved ones can find themselves barely speaking to each other. A therapist in Thailand can help open lines of communication back up and get family members to start talking to each other once again.
There are instances wherein a family member or friend may enable a person’s addiction. They may have actively helped a person in
their substance use by helping them procure drugs, or the enabling may have been less direct, such as covering up or excusing a person’s behaviour. A professional counsellor can help loved ones recognise their behaviour and change to stop enabling a person’s addiction.
Another important part of this type of psychotherapy is education. By becoming more educated on the nature of addiction and substance dependence, family members can become more understanding of a person’s substance use and can be active participants in recovery.
Our family treatment services can be conducted in person at our facility in Chiang Mai. If that’s not possible logistically, then we also offer online therapy sessions for family members.
Why Come to Orchid for Family Counselling Services?
There are several benefits to coming to us for treatment services. Some of the reasons include:
Cost Efficiency
Similar addiction treatment in a rehab in Australia may be quite costly. Coming to us for rehab and treatment allows a person to access the same level of care, including similar therapy sessions, at a fraction of the price. Even after factoring in the cost of airfare, coming to us can still be the more cost-effective solution.
Beautiful Environment
Chiang Mai is the second-largest city in Thailand after Bangkok. It is a major tourist destination, not just for foreign tourists but also for local Thais. Family members who choose to come here to participate in a person’s therapy will be able to enjoy themselves outside of counselling sessions.
Everyone's Welcome
Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise same-sex marriage, and we provide treatment to everyone regardless of whether they’re a man, a woman, or part of the LGBTQ community. Addiction does not discriminate, and neither does recovery.
Staff in Recovery
Another major benefit of coming to us is that some of the members of our staff are in recovery. This means that they’ll understand the difficulties of addiction and recovery on a personal level. They know the struggles that our guests are going through because they have been through those struggles themselves.
Various Activities
In addition to counselling and psychotherapy, we also use a variety of activities in our treatment. These activities can include golf, hiking, swimming, sightseeing, Thai boxing, yoga, and water activities. These can help make receiving treatment less monotonous.
Luxury Facilities
Our treatment centre is a luxury facility. Moreover, each one of our guests will receive the attention they need from our counselling team as we take in a maximum of 20 guests at a time.
Other Forms of Therapy
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy is a cornerstone of recovery. During these sessions, a psychotherapist will create a safe space for a patient to explore the root cause of their addiction or their mental health disorders. They'll also be able to develop healthy coping mechanisms to manage their cravings or their triggers.
Group Therapy
Group therapy can often be pivotal to recovery. Because social support can be vital to overcoming addiction, the supportive community that can be found in group therapy sessions can be vital. In these sessions, a person can receive encouragement, which can help them keep going in their recovery. They'll also be held accountable, which can empower them to take ownership of their actions.
Modalities We Use in Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a widely used modality that is concerned with the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and actions. With CBT, a person can identify and address the negative thought patterns, or cognitive distortions that contribute to unhealthy behaviour.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behaviour therapy, or DBT, is a form of therapy that is concerned with helping a patient develop skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Skills in these four areas can be vital to achieving and maintaining recovery.
Eye Movement Desensitisation (EMD)
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, or EMDR, is a form of therapy that is primarily used to treat trauma. EMDR therapy works by using bilateral stimulation to replicate REM sleep while focusing on a traumatic memory. In doing so, the memory can be processed, and its emotional impact can be blunted.
Motivational interviewing (MI)
Motivational interviewing is a type of therapy that aims to help people find the intrinsic motivation to change their behaviour. MI is a person-centred approach to treatment and is respectful of the patient's autonomy throughout the process. It uses open-ended questions and active listening to help clients motivate themselves to recover.
What do we treat?
At our centre in Thailand, we offer help to people seeking therapy and treatment. Some of the conditions we can help with include:
Substance Use
We offer detox and residential treatments for people who struggle with substance use disorders. Our detox programme takes between 5 to 7 days, though complex cases may require a hospital setting.
Process Addictions
We also treat process addictions such as addictions to gambling, sex, shopping, gaming, internet, and porn.
Mental Health Disorders
We treat a variety of mental health disorders at our centre, including depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, and burnout. We also treat mood disorders if the patient is clinically stable. We also offer dual-diagnosis treatment to patients with co-occurring disorders