Involving social network in the treatment
During a treatment trajectory, the client actively engages in the process. Together, you discuss the client's situation and issues, as well as the steps you will take to address these concerns. Consider who can assist your client in this journey and from whom they can seek support during and after the treatment.
Why is it important to involve the client's environment in the treatment?
Involving the client's environment in the treatment can contribute to the recovery process. It fosters a better understanding of the situation, and the client can feel more support from their surroundings. This approach can provide insight into the origins and course of the issues. Additionally, the client's environment can offer input on what they need during the recovery process.
At times, clients might be hesitant to involve someone from their environment in the treatment, perhaps because nobody is aware of their issues yet or due to feelings of shame. It's important to discuss this with the client. From experience, involving loved ones in the recovery process has proven to be beneficial.
What does the social network look like?
Go through with the client who the individuals are that can provide help. You can explore this, for example, by creating a sociogram.
How do you ask for help with the treatment?
The client must agree to involve someone in the treatment.
Next, you consider who this person might be and when they can be included.
Does the client want to involve someone at the beginning of the treatment or later in the process?
When family members or loved ones are included in the treatment, are there certain topics that they would prefer not to discuss (yet)? Make this a topic of discussion before involving them. The client then invites their loved one to be involved.
How can someone provide support?
Offering support can take various forms. Work together with the client to explore how they would like to involve their social network in the treatment. The client might benefit from either an emotional or practical approach. In some cases, it might help for the client to have someone participate in a session or a homework exercise. Additionally, you can agree with the client to share the relapse prevention plan with loved ones.
It's common for the client's environment to have questions, uncertainties, or concerns. Ask the client if they'd like to address any questions from their social circle or raise this topic yourself when the loved one joins a session. For instance, you could share psycho-education about the client's issues with the social environment.
If you want to provide more information to your client about the importance of involving their network in the treatment, you can share this psycho-education.
Sources:
https://www.vgct.nl/stream/boekje-durf-te-netwerken-beek-kuiper-njc-2017.pdf