When someone close to you suffers, it creates a ripple effect that impacts those closest to you. Your loved ones deserve the same level of support and care to better support you and for their own personal benefit.
Our family program is designed to treat the family unit as a whole. This means family members will also have access to therapy, helpful resources, and psychoeducation to increase awareness and support healing. When you join the MARC community, you can bring your family along and learn to cultivate positive relationships as you pursue recovery.
Years of experience
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How (and Why) Family Programs Work at MARC
Studies show that family involvement in addiction treatment improves recovery outcomes.[1] When you undertake difficult challenges together, everyone learns how to better themselves and support the ones they love, which positively impacts the treatment and recovery experience for all involved.
At MARC, we place a significant emphasis on family involvement. We want you to get 360 degrees of support here, at home, and wherever you are. Patient’s families will be engaged with the MARC clinical team throughout their loved one’s involvement in treatment, including weekly therapy sessions and phone calls. Additionally, our Family Recovery Program (FRP) offers two primary components: online multifamily therapy sessions and an in-person intensive therapeutic experience that takes place on campus over 2.5 days.
Our Online Multifamily Therapy Sessions: In addition to working with the patient’s primary provider, family members receive access to ongoing weekly online sessions with a MARC therapist. We also curate a small unit of families that meet together for group therapy sessions and psychoeducation as part of our immersive Family Program.
Our In-Person Intensive Therapeutic Experience: Our 2.5-day on-site family-intensive experience takes place between four and eight weeks after admission. It begins on Thursday with a welcome session and family dinner, followed by experiential activities and group sessions on Friday. Family members are invited to group therapy sessions on Saturday morning, and patients join in during the afternoon sessions. On Sunday, there’s an additional group therapy session followed by family lunch and recreational time before departure.
Joint sessions with patients and families can begin after the in-person sessions and festivities.
Benefits and Efficacy of Family Programs
Official studies show that family involvement in addiction treatment has been shown to reduce substance use frequency by 5.7%.[2] That same study also revealed that when families are included in the process, patients experience reduced relapse rates and better maintain their sobriety.
Additionally, family involvement has been shown to reduce patient distress, enhance coping skill building, and improve family functioning across the board.[3]
We’re ready to help you and your family through every aspect of treatment and recovery.
What Our Baltimore Family Program Alumni Are Saying
I am very fortunate and grateful I was able to be a patient at MARC for 9 months. It was a challenging program but it has helped me tremendously find footing in my early recovery. I have had multiple bouts of sobriety in the past but relapsed, I now feel very confident moving forward after experiencing the therapy I received at MARC. I would recommend this treatment facility to anybody who is willing to step outside of their comfort zone or has a window of willingness to change. It’s not an easy program to complete and I was challenged periodically but the professionals that I encountered pushed me to do the work on myself that was necessary. My family is just as grateful and that is a blessing.
MIKE H.
Recovering Patient
Without MARC, I would not have much of a life right now. Yes, this place is an addiction treatment center, and surely does intensive therapy for addiction and mental illness. But the residence/community living treatment program also teaches you invaluable life skills such as cleanliness, organization, work ethic, budgeting, communication, and interpersonal skills. Though some of these times for me were extremely difficult, and I hated being in treatment some of the time, I’m grateful to MARC for giving me a shot at an actual life. They don’t do the work for you, but they push you, and it’s up to you if you use the guidance/push to actually move forward.
THOMAS F.
Recovering Patient
I cannot recommend MARC enough. From the moment I arrived, I knew I was in the right place. The staff is incredibly caring and dedicated to helping patients overcome addiction. The treatment programs are top-notch and tailored to meet each individual's needs. The facility itself is clean, comfortable, and conducive to healing. I am grateful for the time I spent here and will forever be in debt to the staff for saving my life. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, this is the place to go. Five stars!
CASEY
Recovering Patient
Maryland addiction recovery center absolutely saved my life. Multiple times. I have been through several rehab facilities, and MARC was the only treatment center that showed a genuine care for my well-being. They continued to follow up with me afterwards, and 5 years after going through their program, they are still reaching out and extending their hand. I would highly recommend anyone to go through any of their programs.
DAVE D.
Recovering Patient
Marc’s therapeutic approach, mixed with AA/NA fellowships has saved my life ten times over. I came to Marc broken and scared. I had no idea how to live without the use of substances. Marc gives you the resources, and a community of people that show you, you can live a life beyond your wildest dreams. They offer a family program that allows you to improve on family dynamics, individual therapy, group therapy, rides to meetings, and a plethora of other services. It’s also important to note that even after completing Marc they still support me and my family. They genuinely care about their patients and I am forever grateful for the impact Marc continues to have on my life.
AUGUST J.
Recovering Patient
MARC’s Modalities for Family Programming
Each family unit will need a unique approach, and the therapies or interventions in which you participate may vary. However, we offer a wide range of evidence-based and gold-standard modalities and services, including
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a subcategory of CBT, but the emphasis is on helping you understand and accept difficult or intense emotions and not allowing them to influence harmful behaviors.
This modality is based on the idea that harmful patterns begin in the mind. By identifying harmful thoughts and creating new healthy patterns, you can make positive behavior change.
The arts as a practice are largely very soothing. Paired with guided therapy, it can help improve communication, unlock emotional expression, and enhance self-awareness, which is beneficial for fostering change.
Healing from trauma is often intermingled with substance abuse and mental health challenges. This approach helps you address all areas of traumatic impact, from physical to emotional and psychological.
By increasing awareness about substance use, recovery, sober living, and holistic healing, you or your loved one will be better equipped to improve performance and outcomes.
During the admissions process, you will participate in a detailed and comprehensive needs assessment based on official ASAM Criteria and your individual goals.[4] This assessment will help us create a custom treatment plan that is tailored to you. At any time during treatment, your assigned level of care can be altered based on your progress, safety, goals, and treatment outcomes.
If your family struggles with ongoing conflict and poor communication, family therapy can help. Additionally, if you or your loved one has difficulty setting boundaries or is burdened by unresolved issues from the past, our family program can help you all safely navigate through these challenges and come out the other side healthier and better equipped.
Family sessions are facilitated by an experienced and qualified therapist and are a safe space to express feelings, thoughts, and fears related to the family unit’s experience. Together, we’ll focus on setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, improving family unit communication, exploring unique group dynamics, and identifying strategies for being the best possible support system.
There are many templates for what a family looks like. In some cases, the closest relatives aren’t those who are genetically closest, and blood relatives aren’t in the picture at all. If your loved ones aren’t your relatives or it’s a mix of close friends and family, they are eligible to participate.
[1][2]Hogue, A., Becker, S. J., Wenzel, K., Henderson, C. E., Bobek, M., Levy, S., & Fishman, M. (2021, October). Family involvement in treatment and recovery for substance use disorders among transition-age youth: Research Bedrocks and opportunities. Journal of substance abuse treatment. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8380649/
