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Online Recovery Academy

Join accomplished Family Therapist and addiction/recovery specialist Jean Wheeler on an exploration of addiction, it’s associated behavioral patterns, and proven pathways to recovery for the family unit. This effective approach to understanding a complex problem can help family members face the challenges of addiction by developing new coping strategies to relieve the pressures caused by addiction created through a lack of practical information.

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Join accomplished Family Therapist and addiction/recovery specialist Jean Wheeler on an exploration of addiction, it’s associated behavioral patterns, and proven pathways to recovery for the family unit. This effective approach to understanding a complex problem can help family members face the challenges of addiction by developing new coping strategies to relieve the pressures caused by addiction created through a lack of practical information.

In this Family course you will learn about aspects of addiction, patterns of behavior, typical family system responses as well as accessible resources to create the changes necessary to set the stage for your family's recovery.

You will learn how to integrate effective, constructive techniques to help all members of the family, as well as the individual effected by addiction.

You will learn to understand and identify the, often well intentioned, family responses that can enable addictive behavior and create obstacles to the recovery process.

Clear practical video lectures, text lectures and quiz style check ins encourage changes in thinking, understanding and processing of problematic behaviors and responses to the situations created by addiction problems in the family.

Developed by professionals intimately involved in long-term recovery, with extensive clinical experience of family addiction and recovery processes the course is designed to educate, inform and support new ways of dealing with the problem.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Gain a useful understanding of addiction
  • Identify and recognise behaviours that sustain or enable addiction
  • Formulate new ways of behaviour that support recovery of the addicted person and the recovery of family members
  • Understand the process of personal recovery

Syllabus

Understanding Addiction As An Illness
Introduction - Jean Wheeler, Facilitator
Understanding The Problem
Addiction: Risk Factors
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Explores the family system's responses to addiction, which can help family members understand their roles and dynamics in the recovery process
Teaches new coping strategies to relieve the pressures caused by addiction, which can be highly beneficial for families seeking practical solutions
Offers insights into behaviors that sustain or enable addiction, which is crucial for breaking negative patterns and fostering a supportive environment
Examines the addictive cycle and its progression, which is foundational knowledge for understanding the nature of addiction and its impact
Requires learners to understand the change process, which may be challenging for those who are new to therapy or recovery concepts
Focuses on understanding addiction as an illness, which may not align with all perspectives on addiction and recovery

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Reviews summary

Practical support for families of addicts

According to learners, this course is a highly valuable and insightful resource for families impacted by addiction. Students consistently praise the practical strategies and tools provided, emphasizing how the content helped them understand addiction as a family disease and shift from enabling behaviors to supportive actions. The instructor, Jean Wheeler, is frequently highlighted for her expertise, empathy, and relatable delivery. Many found the course offered a profoundly helpful perspective shift and much-needed support, making them feel less alone in their journey.
Logical flow and clear explanations.
"The course is well-organized and the topics flow logically from one to the next."
"The explanations are clear and easy to grasp, even for someone new to these concepts."
"I appreciated the mix of video lectures and text readings, keeping me engaged."
"The quizzes helped check my understanding along the way."
Provides emotional support and reduces isolation.
"I felt so validated and understood while taking this course; it made me feel less alone."
"It was comforting to know that the challenges my family faced were common and there was a path forward."
"The course offered a sense of hope and empowerment during a really dark time."
"This course provided much-needed support and encouragement."
Identifies and addresses enabling patterns.
"I finally understood how some of my 'helpful' actions were actually enabling the addiction."
"The section on changing the drama triangle was a game-changer for identifying my own unhelpful patterns."
"Learning about enabling was uncomfortable but absolutely necessary for my own growth."
"It clearly showed how I was contributing to the problem and how to stop."
Jean Wheeler is highly knowledgeable and empathetic.
"Jean Wheeler is an amazing facilitator - so knowledgeable, compassionate, and clear in her explanations."
"Her experience shines through, making the content feel incredibly authentic and trustworthy."
"The instructor made complex topics easy to understand and offered real hope."
"Jean is excellent and very relatable, making the course material stick."
Helps view addiction as a family disease.
"This course completely changed my perspective on addiction and my role in the family system."
"I learned that addiction affects the whole family and that we all need to recover."
"Understanding the dynamics of the addicted family system was incredibly eye-opening."
"It clarified so much about the disease of addiction and how it impacts everyone involved."
Offers actionable techniques for family members.
"This course offered so many useful skills and strategies that I can actually put into practice."
"I really appreciated the practical tools and guidance on how to change my own behaviors to better support my loved one's recovery."
"The lessons on setting boundaries and practicing self-care were particularly helpful and easy to apply."
"It gave me actionable steps to take in a very difficult situation."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in The Family - From Addiction To Recovery with these activities:
Review 'Codependent No More'
Understand codependency and enabling behaviors within the family system.
Show steps
  • Read the book 'Codependent No More'.
  • Identify codependent behaviors in yourself and others.
  • Reflect on how these behaviors impact the family dynamic.
Review 'It's Not Your Fault'
Learn strategies for dealing with the addictive behavior of a loved one.
Show steps
  • Read the book 'It's Not Your Fault'.
  • Identify strategies for setting healthy boundaries.
  • Reflect on the importance of self-care.
Review the Stages of Change Model
Familiarize yourself with a key model used in addiction recovery to understand the process of change.
Show steps
  • Research the Stages of Change Model.
  • Identify the different stages.
  • Consider how this model applies to addiction recovery.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Compile a List of Local Support Resources
Create a resource list to help families find local support groups, therapists, and treatment centers.
Show steps
  • Research local addiction support resources.
  • Compile a list of relevant organizations.
  • Include contact information and a brief description.
  • Share the list with others in need.
Participate in a Family Support Group Meeting
Connect with other families affected by addiction to share experiences and learn coping strategies.
Show steps
  • Find a local family support group meeting.
  • Attend the meeting and actively participate.
  • Share your experiences and listen to others.
Write a Reflection on Family Dynamics
Reflect on how addiction has impacted your family dynamics and write about the changes you've observed.
Show steps
  • Reflect on your family's dynamics before and after addiction.
  • Write a reflection on the changes you've observed.
  • Consider the impact on each family member.
Volunteer at a Local Recovery Center
Gain firsthand experience and contribute to the recovery community by volunteering at a local center.
Show steps
  • Research local addiction recovery centers.
  • Contact a center and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
  • Commit to a regular volunteer schedule.

Career center

Learners who complete The Family - From Addiction To Recovery will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Family Therapist
Family therapists work with families, couples, and individuals to address mental health and emotional issues and improve communication. This course, which covers family systems and dynamics in the context of addiction, is directly relevant to the work of a family therapist. The course teaches techniques to help families and understand the impact of addiction, and it shows how to identify enabling responses that hinder recovery, a particularly useful skill. Lessons on self care also apply to family therapists, who must maintain emotional balance while supporting their clients. Because the course is led by an accomplished family therapist, future family therapists should take this course.
Substance Abuse Counselor
A substance abuse counselor guides individuals and families through the challenges of addiction and recovery. This course, focusing on family dynamics in addiction, can be particularly helpful for future substance abuse counselors. Understanding family responses that enable addictive behavior, a key topic in this course, is crucial for providing effective counseling. The course’s specific lessons on family roles, and characteristic family dynamics can help a counselor identify those patterns in practice. The course goes beyond individual addiction to explore the family system and is thus directly relevant to the work of many substance abuse counselors.
Addiction Recovery Coach
An addiction recovery coach supports individuals and families in their recovery journey. This course will be helpful for an addiction recovery coach because it provides an understanding of addiction, behavioral patterns, and family responses that can be applied in recovery coaching. The course helps build a foundation of knowledge of addiction as a family illness. The material on developing new behaviors that support recovery is directly relevant. This course emphasizes new practical strategies that are directly useful for recovery coaching.
Behavioral Health Specialist
A behavioral health specialist works to address the connection between behavior and health. This course can help future behavioral health specialists by providing a deeper understanding of the behavioral patterns associated with addiction and their impact on families. The course explores the dynamics of addiction as a family problem and teaches practical tools for creating change. The course’s information on the brain’s response to addiction may be of interest to a behavioral health specialist. The course goes beyond individual addiction into family recovery processes, and a behavioral health specialist will find this helpful.
Case Manager
Case managers coordinate services for clients, often those with complex needs. This course, focused on family addiction, may be helpful to case managers. The course will provide understanding of the complexities of addiction, and this can inform case management. The course is helpful because it contains information on recovery resources, as well as methods for integrating techniques to help families. The course's focus on family dynamics is relevant to case managers, who often work with families facing challenges.
Mental Health Counselor
Mental health counselors provide support to individuals, families, and groups experiencing emotional or mental health challenges. This course, focused on understanding addiction in a family system, may be useful to mental health counselors as addiction is frequently a co-occurring condition. The course’s emphasis on behavior patterns and family dynamics helps inform counseling sessions. The course's structure, featuring practical video lectures, text lectures, and quizzes, promotes learning that can be incorporated in counseling work. The material on changing family dynamics and supporting recovery may be helpful to mental health counselors.
Social Worker
Social workers help individuals, families, and communities cope with problems and improve their lives. This course, which focuses on addiction and its impact on families, may be useful to social workers. Social workers often encounter families affected by addiction, and an understanding of family dynamics and enabling behaviors, such as those covered in this course, may be helpful. The course's material on identifying resources for recovery aligns with the goals of social workers, who often connect clients with helpful services. Furthermore, the course's emphasis on understanding children's needs can add to the toolkit of any social worker.
Psychotherapist
Psychotherapists help individuals address their mental and emotional health. This course, with its focus on family dynamics and addiction, may be helpful for psychotherapists. Psychotherapists need to understand the interactional patterns of families, particularly those impacted by addiction. This course, which explores family dynamics, including enabling and dysfunctional behaviors, is beneficial in this regard. The course’s emphasis on practical and constructive techniques will be relevant for clinical sessions. Psychotherapists who often see patients with addiction issues could benefit from this course.
Employee Assistance Program Counselor
Employee assistance program counselors provide support to employees experiencing personal or work-related issues. This course, which explores addiction and its impact on families, may be useful for employee assistance program counselors. The course can provide an understanding of addiction that may be helpful for counseling employees. The material about family dynamics, and enabling behaviors, can be relevant for the work of an employee assistance program counselor. It may also be helpful to them to learn about various resources for recovery, which the course emphasizes.
Rehabilitation Counselor
Rehabilitation counselors work with people with disabilities or other challenges to help them achieve their personal and vocational goals. This course, which focuses on understanding addiction in a family context, may be helpful to rehabilitation counselors. The course emphasizes developing new behaviors to support recovery, which aligns with the goals of rehabilitation counseling. The course also discusses resources for recovery. Additionally, the focus on understanding addiction itself can inform the work of a rehabilitation counselor.
Community Outreach Worker
Community outreach workers connect individuals with resources and services in the community. This course, focusing on addiction and family dynamics, may be helpful for community outreach workers, as many of the people they work with face addiction or have family members struggling with it. The course provides specific strategies for coping with addiction and its effects. The course's emphasis on resources for recovery, including those for family members, may prove helpful to community outreach workers as well. Information on changing family responses also may be relevant.
Parole Officer
Parole officers supervise individuals released from prison, working to ensure their successful reintegration into society. This course, focusing on the family dynamics surrounding addiction, may be useful to parole officers. Knowing about addiction, risk factors and family dynamics gives parole officers additional tools to help those they supervise. This course also provides knowledge of recovery processes. The course provides insight into patterns of behavior and can inform the supervision of parolees.
Health Educator
Health educators teach people about health and wellness. This course, which provides an understanding of addiction and its impact on families, may be helpful for health educators. The course provides an understanding of addiction as a family issue, emphasizing enabling behaviors and effective strategies for change. Therefore, it can add depth to the skills of a health educator. The course explores personal recovery, which aligns with health education goals of promoting individual well-being. The course is designed to inform new ways of thinking about addiction, which is relevant for a health educator.
Life Coach
Life coaches help individuals set and achieve personal goals. This course may be helpful, as it introduces the process of personal recovery in families impacted by addiction, a situation that life coaches may encounter. The course provides insight into family dynamics, a component of human behavior that life coaches may need to understand. Furthermore, the course's focus on creating positive change may be relevant to the work of life coaches. The practical approach to creating change that is described in this course may be useful to a future life coach.
Human Resources Specialist
A human resources specialist works within an organization to ensure proper employee management. While the course does not focus directly on the workplace, the insights into human behavior and the impact of family dynamics may be useful to a human resources professional. They may encounter employees struggling with family issues or addiction, and this course will help them understand the issues better. Additionally, the course can be used to develop deeper human insights that may be beneficial in human resources roles.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in The Family - From Addiction To Recovery.
Foundational text for understanding codependency, a common dynamic in families struggling with addiction. It provides insights into unhealthy relationship patterns and offers practical advice for establishing healthy boundaries and self-care practices. While not directly about addiction, it addresses the enabling behaviors that often perpetuate it. This book is commonly recommended by therapists and support groups.
Provides guidance on navigating the challenges of loving someone with an addiction. It emphasizes setting boundaries, practicing self-care, and detaching with love. It helps family members understand that they are not responsible for the addict's choices and can still support them without enabling their behavior. This book valuable resource for families seeking to break free from the cycle of addiction.

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