Parent Services

At New York Center for Living we understand that when a teenager or young adult develops a substance abuse problem, the issues and problems that arise affect not only the individual, but the entire family unit as well. An adolescent or young adult’s behavior and the resulting consequences may be the immediate impetus for seeking treatment for your teenager or young adult at New York Center for Living, however, the entire family system will benefit from our addiction treatment services. The family of the young adult or teenager struggling with drug abuse or addiction has the power, and is given the ability, to play a major role in the substance abuse or substance dependence recovery process. Therefore, family participation in the recovery process is both emphasized and expected at New York Center for Living.

The following services are offered to all families enrolled at New York Center for Living:

• Multi-family Groups: Therapy groups in which families have the chance to meet with several other families on a weekly basis in order to exchange experiences, process feelings regarding addiction, receive education, and gain support. In this group numerous issues which plague an “addicted” family will be addressed such as familial boundaries, communication, subsystems, roles, power, hierarchy, norms, and values.
  
  
• Parent Psycho-Education and Process Group: The New York Center for Living is committed to helping families learn how to cope with their sometimes troubled teenagers and young adults. Parent education and process group provides an opportunity for parents to learn about adolescent and young adult substance use and substance dependence and the many ways it affects the family. The parent group is also an important source of support for parents as they go through the program with their teen.
  
  Individualized Family Therapy: These sessions include the entire family and the primary therapist on an as-needed basis. During these sessions, the family can discuss any issues or concerns that the family may have felt uncomfortable addressing in multifamily groups.
  
  
• Al-Anon: Center for Living hosts a parent-centered Al-anon meeting every Monday night at 6:30 pm. Al-anon is a 12-step self help group which provides support and guidance to family members of an addicted individual.

We believe that family participation is essential to success in the treatment of teenagers and young adults with substance abuse, drug addiction and co-occurring disorders. Family members will be given a consultation during intake assessment and will be included throughout treatment of their teen or young adult in family counseling. In addition, parents attend multi-family therapy groups, parent education groups and support groups. Parent-centered Al-anon meetings are offered on site at The New York Center for Living.