On Wednesday, March 16, Erica Lubetkin, LMHC described CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) and how parents can benefit. CRAFT is a skill set for those who support a loved one struggling with substance use. There are 4 major goals with CRAFT: 1) decrease the harmful substance use: 2) engage the user into treatment; 3) increase the family member’s own happiness (self-care) and 4) learn to communicate with the substance user in new positive ways.
Some of my two most favorite quotes from Erica:
“Timing is critical to having a good conversation. Try asking permission.”
“Respond don’t react”.
Here are 7 tips that Erica gave for positive communication:
- Be brief – by keeping it short you get your point across more effectively
- Be positive – instead of “I hate it when you drink”, try “I love being with you when
you’re sober”. - Be specific and clear – before you have the conversation be clear about what
you want to focus on. - Label your feeling: “I feel _” –
- Offer an understanding statement – “I know how stressed work is making you
these days”. - Accept partial responsibility – “I know that in the past my reaction has been filled
with anger which I recognize isn’t helpful, let’s work together to solve this.” - Offer to help – brainstorm and deliver possible ideas, ask “how can I help?”
Erica concluded her presentation by discussing how crucial having a relapse prevention plan can be–even if a parent and their loved one never has to use it.
To access the event replay, go here: https://youtu.be/bsyCBjyW_u4. To take an online course in CRAFT at a reasonable cost, go here: https://www.courses.wethevillage.co/.