The Role That Family Plays in the Rehabilitation of Our Residents is Vital

Beartooth Men’s Rehab realizes the importance of strong family connections and relationships have on the lives of these young men. The rebuilding of relationships and the stability that can be found within them can help these men to rediscover what’s most important in life. In our faith-based program, we help them to help themselves.

With Beartooth, they will learn to develop:

• Better communication skills
• Strength of character
• Self-awareness
• Patience
• Christian morals

Beartooth Men’s Rehab’s goal is to help each individual in our care see their family as a place of strength, a strong unit they need in their life. At Beartooth Men’s Rehab, we help families develop the core strengths that will help to repair those relationships, ultimately helping them to become healthy and strong once again. The key strengths they rediscover in themselves and their loved ones will help them remember the value in each relationship.

Spiritual Life

Spirituality is the guiding force that bonds families together. Sharing spirituality and the Catholic faith helps to provide the tools necessary for building up positive relationships, dealing with difficult situations, and changing overall circumstances. Leading a spiritual life establishes the foundation needed for each family member to see the strength they possess together. In fact, strong families embody their spiritual faith.

In our Christian rehab, we foster and encourage open discussions about how their faith influences their lives for the better, and what life is like when that faith is no longer present. Together we:

• Worship
• Pray
• Support each other
• Give guidance
• Instill hope for a better future

Caring & Appreciation

Creating a positive family dynamic takes dedication, patience, and absolute love. We want these young men to leave us with the understanding that being a good family member means:

• Expressing care and appreciation
• Encouraging and supporting others
• Noticing and sharing
• Confirming positive aspects of character
• Paying attention
• Giving your time

Making sure these attributes are present can bring a family together in ways they didn’t think possible. Seeing changes in behavior, like a willingness to eat dinner together, is a huge step in the right direction. Being mindful of communication tactics and paying attention to the needs of others is also key. As a family member, you should show awareness of family accomplishments, seek feedback for actions, and give positive compliments when you see your loved one trying their best.

Commitment

Commitment within a family unit can mean many different things. Families are designed to sustain and support each other during good times as much as the bad. It is extremely important to stick with a family member during difficult periods of their lives.

What Makes a Healthy Family?

We believe that families all need certain attributes to thrive, including:

1. Communication
2. Community
3. Teamwork
4. Flexibility

With these four traits, any family can learn from each other, and begin to heal from the past.

Communication

1. Families need communication that is both open and honest. We all need to talk. We all need to share pieces of ourselves with others. Communication patterns should be clear, open, and frequent. Without communication, we’ll feel lost in an ocean of emotions. Ultimately, we should feel safe and free to share…
   • Feelings
   • Hopes & Dreams
   • Joys & Sorrows
   • Experiences
   • Growth
   • Needs
2. Families need to take the time to talk, listen, and respond to what others have to say. It is especially important to talk about your feelings. Whether you’re sharing a story on a car ride home, talking about a life experience while doing chores, or sharing during dinner time. Encouraging family members to say more is always a good place to start.
3. Each member of a family should feel they can safely talk through their problem, and others should be able to make helpful and kind suggestions. The improvement over criticism should always be the thought. If you criticize another person’s actions verbally without creating a solution to the problem, you may only be adding to your family’s frustration and helplessness. Worst of all is leaving a family member with the feeling that they are unworthy of a positive alternative or outcome to a problem. At all times, even when giving hard-to-hear feedback, speak from your heart, out of love.
4. Be a good listener. Listening to what others say and feel is one of the most powerful ways of showing love. To be good listeners we often must set aside our lectures and try to understand what’s being said and what it means to the other party. The goal is simply to hear, understand, and accept the other person’s feelings and views. Real acceptance and understanding take patience and active listening.

Community

1. No member of a family should ever feel isolated. As humans, it’s important for us to feel support and friendship. If someone in your family is having a difficult time dealing with a problem, they should be willing to seek outside help. Strong families also tend to be closely involved with the schools, churches, and local organizations that promote the well-being of the community, as well as individual ties with relatives, neighbors, and friends.
2. Busy schedules can make it hard to spend time with people outside the family, but relationships can sometimes be kept up by having family members write brief notes. They can make it a special point to visit with certain people.
3. Helping people in need in our own extended families, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities can be very rewarding. A family might choose an elderly person or couple who need help with raking leaves, caring for a lawn or garden, or cleaning or repairing a house. They might read to someone. Or the family might just visit.

Teamwork

1. Strong families make decisions, solve family problems, and do family work together. Everyone has a role to play and everyone participates. Parents are the leaders, but the children’s opinions and efforts are invited, encouraged, and appreciated.
2. Making life decisions as a family is a good practice, and can help children grow up to be responsible adults. Children need opportunities to make decisions, to participate in family decisions, and to observe the parents’ decision-making process and results.
3. Children are more apt to carry out their responsibilities if they have some choice as to what those responsibilities are and can see how these particular tasks help the family.
4. Letting children take part in decision-making says to them “You are important, and what you have to say, counts.” Many families have found that a family meeting improves communication and decision-making. During a family meeting, every member of the family has the opportunity to express opinions and ideas, offer compliments or complaints, and most importantly, be listened to.

Flexibility

1. All families should work to develop habits, routines, and a set of rules. These patterns are ways to deal with day-to-day life. Obvious patterns like, who primarily cooks, or fixes the car, may be easy to spot from day to day. Other less obvious patterns like, who has the right to make what decisions, how are differences of opinion handled, or how are anger, affection, or other emotions expressed, may take more time to develop.
2. The development of a stable family pattern is necessary to deal with all the things a family must face, decide, and accomplish in their daily life. But a family must also be able to adapt to new needs and circumstances.
3. There are a number of common changes most families face. Children get older. Adults switch jobs or retire. Families are reshaped by birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, sickness, and death. Families move to different communities. Family relationships are most likely to remain healthy and strong if family members adapt to these changes—and support each other in dealing with change.

Family is Important at Beartooth Men’s Rehab

At Beartooth Men’s Rehab, we believe that addiction of any kind is treatable with hard work, communication, and the restoration of faith. If your loved one is in trouble, having you and their family by their side can make the process to recovery easier and the transition back into their lives away from us far more realizable. We know our Catholic, faith-based teaching to be an excellent tool when working to restore fractured family dynamics. Contact us today, and see what we can do for your loved one.