What to do with families if crisis in link with the Therapeutic Community
Work with families in Magdaléna
● Therapeutic groups (online, F2F)
● Family Saturdays
● Family Weekend Stays in the TC
● Individual consultations Cookbook – what is it for?
Situations which make parents anxious and which are repeated
● each specific situation has one recipe
● emphasis on practical information for parents of addicted adult children, for example:
1. Gazpacho soup : cold tomato soup
● premature leaving of the community, what to do: connect with team – ask for the information from both sides
● don’t offer living at home – make the leaving complicated
2. Little snacks : small taste for small something
● appetite for drugs, what to do:
● don´t panic, it´s normal
● don’t take the responsibility for it instead of your child – ask him what he plans to do
3. Cabbage rolls : hidden taste
● shared secret, what to do:
● stay in connection with the therapist of your child
● don’t “betray” your child with disclosure of secret but make him/her be responsible for it
4.Multi-level cake : different levels of the cake
● transition to the higher phase of treatment is not successful:
● ask for the concrete reasons what happened
● When the transition happens easily it doesn’t have to be the best way for abstinence
5.Lemon sauce : sour taste
● n
on-compliance with the agreement, what to do:
● don´t be afraid to open it during the individual consultation
● openness is the main tool on the way to the abstinence
6.Goulash: mix of flavors and spices
● 1st time weekend-out from the TC, what to do:
● don´t give extra money to your child
● it´s usual he/she meets “toxic” friends from the past, don´t hesitate to share your feelings
7.Fondue : food we can share
● you as a parent can choose with whom you share your troubles with addiction of your child
● You have no obligation to answer unpopular questions to everybody
● To keep up the system of lies is exhausting
8. Cheese triangles : food with 3 corners
● a triangle in the therapy process is necessary
● We need to be in touch: client – parent -psychotherapist otherwise the treatment is not that successful
● when we miss one part of the triangle we miss important part
9. Dessert : we serve dessert after the main menu
● aftercare service is necessary, what to do:
● don´t underestimate the necessity of aftercare service
● it´s important to concentrate on work as well as on the meeting with therapist
The complete Cookbook encompasses dozens of recipes (see Czech version on the platform). Each parent receives a copy of the Cookbook recipes at the intake of their child in the TC.
Thank You For Your Attention
Klára Brázdová – Family Therapist
Magdaléna, o.p.s. Czech Republic