A practitioner's commentary

Abstract

I have been delivering the flexible family work approaches outlined in this supplement at Aquarius for the past 8 years. Aquarius is an English Midlands-based addictions charity working with people who have problems with alcohol, drugs, or gambling and supporting their family members/concerned others. I have been a practitioner participating in the Involving Family Members Action Research Project 2002–2004, whilst at the North Birmingham Aquarius team [Orford, J., Templeton, L., Copello, A., Velleman, R., Ibanga, A., & Binnie, C. (2009). Increasing the involvement of family members in alcohol and drug treatment services: The results of an action research project in two specialist agencies. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 16, 1–30; and see Orford, J., Templeton, L., Copello, A., Velleman, R., & Ibanga, A. (2010). Working with teams and organizations to help them involve family members. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 17(S1), 156–166]. I am now a service manager and part of the action research team for Involving Family Members across the Organization developing family-focused work across the whole of the Aquarius organization. In this chapter, I will outline some of the barriers to more family-focused work, offering the view that in practice these initial concerns about family-focused work do not need to be barriers. I will also provide some strategies to overcome some of these barriers. I will then outline what I see as the main benefits I have experienced as a practitioner in implementing family-focused work.