Best Family Treatment Program

Sierra Tucson recognizes that family and friends close to an individual who is struggling also need support, yet very often those needs are overlooked. Offered virtually, the Family Program Team at Sierra Tucson presents a curriculum specially designed to shine a light on those needs and to help loved ones recognize and honor the needs they have for support. With a goal of creating connection with your loved one versus control of your loved one, the Program supports the resident’s family and friends and teaches tools and techniques that help individuals skillfully balance their connection and boundaries that contribute to a successful recovery journey.

The Family Program at Sierra Tucson is by invitation only from the resident for family members, friends, or any individual a resident would like to invite. If you have a friend or loved one who is a resident at Sierra Tucson and is interested in participating, please have the resident speak to their primary therapist about participating. Once approved, an invitation will be extended to you and your family.

The Family Program is delivered through the Microsoft Teams video platform and consists of six hours of programming over three days (Monday-Wednesday, 10am- 12pm AZ time) and 90-minute skills-building sessions (Thursdays, 12:30-2pm AZ time) with rotating themes every five weeks. Over a span of five weeks, the Thursday sessions will help you learn about family dynamics, boundaries, accurate communication, effective listening, and family problem-solving.

Those who cannot participate on the Teams platform are invited to consider watching prerecorded lectures covering key topics, including boundaries, family roles, healthy communication and more. The link to these videos will be made available to family members shortly after their loved one is admitted to Sierra Tucson.

Who can attend?
Anyone the resident would like to invite, including family members (spouses, children, aunts, cousins, etc.) and friends, etc.

How do family members attend?
Once you provide your list, a link will be sent to the family and others within your support circle that you identified to join an online meeting on the Microsoft Teams platform.

Is the program only offered virtually?
Yes. This allows for maximum flexibility for individuals to attend and allows sharing of the link to family members and others within the resident’s support circle. Additionally, the virtual Family Program has permitted many individuals who otherwise would not be able to attend an in-person event, due to busy schedules or budget, to participate.

What makes this program different than others offered by other treatment facilities?
Sierra Tucson’s Family Program is designed to assist family members in identifying strengths and challenges that significantly impact recovery in their family system by focusing on their own expectations, communication skills, and approach to problem-solving. With a goal of creating connection with your loved one versus control of your loved one, the Program shifts the focus to the family member or friend’s behaviors and not the loved one in treatment. By supporting the resident’s family and friends there is a shared language and experience that contribute to a successful recovery journey.
Other facilities may take a family therapy approach that sometimes can lead to confrontation and chaos. Sierra Tucson takes the opposite approach that provides ways for families to connect with their loved ones. The Program helps individuals navigate their own emotions and potential roadblocks by teaching skills that enhance understanding and communication for a favorable recovery landscape.

Is there discussion during the online sessions?
Confidentiality is respected and maintained with the virtual Family Program. Using the Microsoft Teams platform, all audience members’ microphones are muted. Dialogue is encouraged however through the chat feature. Through chat, questions that may pertain to an individual’s unique scenario are encouraged. Members of the Family Program Team can address those questions and even role play to showcase potential interactions.

Additionally, participants are provided with the Team’s emails if they have additional questions or require more information specific to their concerns. Team members can be contacted via phone after the sessions as well.

These sessions are described as open enrollment. What does that mean?
Individuals who attend the Family Program are invited to attend any session as many times as they would like. That open enrollment scenario allows family and friends to attend while their loved one is in treatment as well as after their residential treatment ends.