Whether you’re in recovery for a substance use disorder (SUD) or a mental illness, maintaining an intimate relationship while focusing on yourself can be challenging. Your significant other may be supportive of your recovery or they may not understand it – either of which can have a major impact on your perceptions of recovery and the perceived self-efficacy you have towards achieving your recovery goals. Even in recovery, you can ensure the health of your relationship by engaging in couple’s therapy. In doing this, you and your partner can speak with a therapist about your goals, worries, concerns, barriers, hopes, dreams and more; all these things can impact your recovery (and your family’s stability), and you want to be sure that your family has an action plan for moving forward.
There are several types of therapy that you can choose from, depending on your needs:
- Couple’s therapy
- Addiction-focused couple’s therapy
- Family therapy
- Individual therapy
If you’re wanting to discuss these options with your significant other but are unsure of how to approach the subject, there are steps to doing this:
- Express to your significant other that you value your relationship with them.
- Tell them that you’ve been focusing on your recovery and have learned that your substance use/mental illness doesn’t just affect you – it affects your family, too.
- Explain to them that you want to make sure your family has everything they need to move forward and lead a happy, healthy life.
- Tell your partner that you feel couple’s therapy would be a wonderful way to ensure both of you are on the right track, especially since addiction/mental illness can be challenging if there is information either of you is missing.
- Express to your partner that you’re wanting to do this to ensure the vitality of your relationship – because you love, care, respect, and appreciate them.
- Offer them further information about the therapy option if they’d like.
If your loved one has further questions, direct them to a professional directly at your treatment center so that they can learn more. Some people are apprehensive about therapy but once they learn that there is no threat, they feel safer moving forward. Therapy is a great option to pursue while in recovery to ensure you and your partner have all the tools you need to thrive.
Avalon Malibu is a world-renowned, California state-licensed mental health and substance abuse recovery center. If you are ready to seek treatment to develop the tools you need to overcome life’s obstacles and be on the road towards happiness, health, and well-being, call us today at 888-958-7511 for a consultation. It’s never too late, and there are people here ready to help you.
References
https://www.verywellmind.com/addiction-five-ways-relationship-counseling-can-help-22142
