The Garden Route Recovery Centre

The Garden Route Recovery Centre in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa offers affordable residential treatment for those suffering from an addiction disorder. Addiction is very much a family illness in that everyone lives has adapted to meet the needs of the addict/alcoholic or family member with a gambling addiction or eating disorder. 

At the Garden Route Recovery Centre we also facilitate "family conferences"where possible. A family conference is born out of the clients counsellor discussing with their client the advantages of discussing aspects of addiction with their family.  The majority of clients receive this opportunity quite well yet understandably can be cautious or anxious about what might be disclosed during the conference by family members. The counsellor will explain to the client that the key reason for arranging a family conference is to help everyone better understand the nature of addiction within a family unit and improve communication styles. Family communication prior to a conference will have been badly affected due to known and unknown levels of denial, manipulation and undoubtedly-anger. It is important for the facilitator to reflect back to the conference attendees how they are communicating and encourage appropriate exchanges in order to gradually promote healthier communication.

Family conferences can be such a positive experience for all concerned as it may have been years since the family sat down together and said how they are feeling and how addiction has effected them individually and the family as a whole . Usually, the client in residential treatment feels ashamed about their past behaviours and so their therapeutic experience is enhanced by the support displayed by family members that the addict thought was no longer available. It can be a great relief for everyone to discover that there is hope and that everyone has a part to play in renovating the families corroded spirituality and psychological health.

www.gardenrouterecoverycentres.com

www.addictionrecoverycentre.com