In-home continuing care services for substance-affected families: the bridges program

Addressing substance abuse in families is an important concern for the social work field. This article presents a preliminary view of a continuing care substance abuse recovery services program designed to assist the substance-affected family. The intervention approach is a blended model of substance abuse recovery work and family preservation. Services are directed at helping substance-abusing parents with "recovering" their role with their families, developing support for their recovery work, and helping them gain the education and skills they need for effective parenting, supportive family involvement, and avoidance of drugs and alcohol. The program focuses on helping substance abusers and their families achieve relapse prevention by addressing functioning in four domains: individual actions and cognitions, individual recovery actions, family actions and cognitions, and family recovery actions. The article presents two case examples to highlight the efficacy of the intervention model and the general positive effect continuing care services are having on substance-affected families.