Parenting Classes
Parenting provides plenty of challenges for anyone, but parents with a substance use disorder may need extra help and support. Research in the Clinical Psychology Review shows that two-thirds of people in substance use treatment have a child or multiple children. For these people, learning how to parent effectively can play a significant role in their recovery process.
Parenting Classes and Recovery
Providing parenting classes for people in recovery plays an essential role in healing family relationships and the children affected by the substance use disorder. Parents in the early recovery stage may need additional education on how to parent their children so that they can repair the relationship with their children as well as be effective parents.
Many people with substance use disorders have had legal issues. These can result in problems with Children’s Services or with child custody. A cycle of problematic parenting, substance misuse, and child abuse can go on for generations. The Journal of Social Work and Public Health has found that without intervention, this cycle tends to continue.
For people who have lost custody or have other legal issues concerning their children, parenting classes can prove their commitment to change and demonstrate their readiness to become better parents.
When a client enters our program at Everlast Recovery Centers, they have the chance to work with our team of clinically trained staff who will help them avoid these pitfalls and learn more effective, productive parenting techniques. By intervening at this early recovery stage in a client’s life, we can help not only treat the substance use disorder but also rebuild family relationships and create a more positive family dynamic.
Parenting Class Curriculum
Everlast Recovery Centers use the same curriculum recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice for people with substance use issues: the Hazelden Substance Abuse Curriculum. This curriculum has been adapted for parenting classes at our facility.
The parenting curriculum follows the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions model, demonstrated in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology as an evidence-based treatment for struggling youths and families.
Parenting methods in this program remain non-confrontational and aim for mutual problem-solving. It also incorporates the tools for developing respectful communication skills and working together to improve the family unit.
Honesty and respect can make a tremendous difference in a child’s future. Research has shown that when parents can talk to their children about their disorder, they become less likely to use substances themselves. By using a curriculum designed to foster this kind of open, genuine family relationship, Everlast Recovery Centers hopes to make sure all of our clients return home with the skills to be honest and respectful parents committed to rebuilding their family relationships.