Families' recovery stories after attending Family Programme

I can honestly say that the “family workshop” session at Camino Recovery was a game changer.

A carefully thought out process which allows over a period of days serious issues to be addressed in a safe environment in the presence of highly experienced counsellors. Naturally there was apprehension at the beginning but that fear was soon removed as the sessions unfolded. As well as work in the classroom, the sessions involving art and equine therapy helped raise awareness to another level of understanding which also provided a vital aid in being able to mend fences which had been broken in the past. It is hard to think a complete recovery can be achieved without the family being involved and this course provides the essential tools to help achieve that goal.

A life changing experience! I can’t thank everyone at Camino enough for sharing their immense experience, compassion and wisdom with us, throughout the Family Therapy. .

I learnt so much in such a short time and came away with a much deeper understanding of myself and my entire family going back several generations. Despite addressing painful, long standing issues I felt safe at all times as we were expertly guided by the highly experience therapists. On leaving I felt real sense of hope for the first time in four years and a belief that we will be able to stand together as a united and healthy family once again.

As a family member coming to visit Camino Recovery to attend “family workshop”, I was naturally quite nervous and apprehensive but after settling in and meeting the counsellors, .

I instantly felt that I was in a safe, positive environment in which we could deal with our issues. The experience over several days allowed my family to address deep rooted traumas which we would not have been able to speak about prior to our Camino visit. I learnt a great deal about myself and my family from the sessions, especially in terms of communication, and I felt truly humbled by the presence of such wise, lovely and caring counsellors.

I came away feeling refreshed and revitalised, and, most important, hopeful about my sister’s recovery.

I am writing to express my gratitude for your work at Camino Recovery. Compared to the shame-based boot camp I attended in 1990 I was very happy to have experienced the loving and affirming atmosphere of your clinic. Even though I visited for a very short time, I have come away feeling refreshed and revitalised, and, most important, hopeful about my sister’s recovery.

The family group was very supportive. The clients could not be in a better place to start their recovery.

Although emotionally draining I have the greatest respect for Don and the therapists and feel that the clients could not be in a better place to start their recovery. The family group was very supportive and the clients obviously felt part of the ‘family’ here. My hope is that I will change my behaviour but still love and support my son appropriately. I feel grateful that I could be here and participate.

The family week far exceeded my expectations in almost every way. It has helped my relationship with my brother and with my parents.

This week has far exceeded my expectations in almost every way. It has helped not only my relationship with my brother but also my relationship with my parents. I have told them secrets that I never thought I could and have had talks with them on an adult level. It has also helped me face my own insecurities. I have a lot of hope that my brother is learning to accept what a wonderful person he is and perhaps understanding that when people say he is a wonderful human being they may be right after all. As a closing note, Don is absolutely fantastic.

I could not wish for a better place for my son to be.

A wonderful, helpful, meaningful week. I could not wish for a better place for my son to be. I am sure we shall have a more positive life with him as he moves through recovery.

I found the experience and support of the other family members particularly helpful.

I came saying I was open to new ideas, but was really being rather sceptical. During the week I became increasingly convinced at the whole concept and found the experience and support of the other family members particularly helpful.

The programme is excellent. Thank you all.

In reflection of the whole week I think it has ended perfectly balanced. The programme is excellent. I thank each and every one of you wonderful people for the gift of allowing me to grieve. Thank you all.

So glad I participated. I shall miss the support, beautiful surroundings and friendship.

A wonderful programme. Thank you to everyone from office to kitchen. All the staff here are reading from the same sheet of music, just right. So glad I participated. I shall miss the support, beautiful surroundings and friendship. Please help make our loved ones to see the light. I think you will.

Thank you very much for your support, comfort and compassion over this week. The programme is excellent.

My sister and I would like to thank you very much for your support, comfort and compassion over this week. It has been a tremendous journey for us both. Our understanding has deepened and we are both hopeful that mum will seek the road to recovery and are committed to assisting her in any way we can. We realise and trust that this is a family process and will seek support for ourselves to this end. The programme is excellent and we wish you and all your colleagues joy and serenity in your work.

I found the family week incredibly helpful in beginning to understand and come to terms with the nature of addictions.

I just wanted to write and say thank you to you and your fantastic team for all the benefit I personally took from the family week programme. The experience has left a deep, meaningful and profound effect on me, for which I am very grateful. I found the experience very compelling and interesting and incredibly helpful in beginning to understand and come to terms with the nature of addictions.

Reading through the family therapy programme now after the event, it becomes much clearer and I must congratulate you for putting things across in a way that family members can really understand – no easy thing to do! I personally arrived in some sort of shock, not knowing what on earth was going to happen, but it was all done in such a way as to take us step-by-step and it’s only on reflection that I can see the enormous benefit family members get by attending your informal workshops. So a huge thank you and also congratulations for having been able to put together a programme which makes so much sense!

My partner is well and pretty fired up – attending many AA meetings and has seemingly benefited enormously from her stay with you.

We appreciated the time given to forgiveness and reconciliation with family members.

We appreciated the time given to cleaning up behaviour patterns and forgiveness and reconciliation with family members. I also enjoyed the yoga, art, metaphoric games and equine therapy.

The family therapy group is most rewarding. I leave full of hope and full of gratitude.

An excellent process for healing: gentle and non-threatening, but full of clear messages. I have learnt so much and connected with so many people. The family therapy group is most rewarding and supportive. Although I came slightly fearful, I leave full of hope and full of gratitude.

I wish everyone could have the opportunity to do this.

A wonderful, inspiring week. I have learned a lot about alcohol as a disease and the nature of co-dependency. Also the value of group work. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to do this.

Camino Recovery has a warm, caring, serene and loving aura.

Thank you for this week, which enabled me to come to terms with my own need for counselling. I arrived thinking I had come to help the client but realised that I had in fact come to help heal the family. I found the whole concept uplifting and enabling and I hope to now study the subject with a view to helping others if I can.

Don Lavender made the week so valuable for us. His approach was such that we felt comfortable about receiving and giving information at all times. It was constructive, informative and deeply valuable on all levels. Much more rewarding and informative than I had expected.

Camino Recovery has a warm, caring, serene and loving aura. A worthwhile home doing a worthwhile job. I wish the house and all the staff and all who enter the best of luck.

I feel better placed to deal with the problems and put the help where it is needed.

The whole process was an education. I feel better placed to deal with the problems and stronger to put the help where it is needed.

There should be more places like Camino Recovery. This has been an inspirational experience.

I am so grateful for the care shown to my son and to me. I have found this week so valuable in helping me, my son and our relationship. Please accept my sincere thanks. Thank you for everything. A calm oasis in a sea of chaos. We have hope at last. There should be more places like Camino Recovery. The programme is so well structured. This has been an inspirational experience. Sharing with other families has been a great privilege. Meeting other addicts has changed my preconceived ideas. I am and will always be grateful for the opportunity to take part in the family week.

You let me know I was an enabler.

I came here not understanding that addiction was a disease. You have taught me what it is. I now look at addicts in a much more sympathetic light. I came here thinking this week was to help J. I go away knowing it was to help me deal with the situation by helping and thinking of myself and helping myself as well. You let me know I was an enabler.

Camino Recovery is a special place.

Camino Recovery is a special place – it is very friendly, nice and small and in a fantastic peaceful setting.

It was a very good week. Very educational.

It was a very good week. Very educational and with plenty of time to ask questions. The timing and structure were very clever and the forgiveness and reconciliation work on the last day was so good. The afternoon activities were all fun without exception and gave you time to get to know the other clients and relax.

Your family week helped us to open our hearts to one another and be comfortable together. We could not have done it alone.

I thought that you might like to know that your family week has been a great success for our family. Our son spent three months with you and has been continuing his therapy and progressing along the 12 steps. He has continued to work extremely hard since leaving you. We feel such respect and admiration for the way he is handling his difficulties, building bridges with his family and keeping focussed on getting well. What your family week did for us was to make it possible to open our hearts to one another and to be comfortable together. We will forever feel grateful for your help. We could not have done it alone.

I cannot thank you enough. You have given us a fresh start and a more positive future.

I cannot thank Don Lavender enough for what he has done for me and is doing for my son – thank goodness we found you! You have given us a fresh start and hopefully a better understanding of each other and as a result, a more positive future.

In the future things will change for the better in many areas of my life.

I would like to tell you just how much the family workshop has been a positive experience for me and it is very evident for my son as well. It is the first time in my life that I have faced a number of personal issues to do with my relationships, my family and the way that I have dealt with my son and conducted myself. In the future things will change for the better in many areas of my life, including taking care of myself! For many years I felt that it was my duty as a mother to hold a safety net under my addict son and the strain of that has been devastating. My son now knows through my interaction with him in the family workshop that he has to take responsibility for himself and in Camino Recovery he will be given the tools to do so.

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To start your journey towards recovery from addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, gambling or sex – and to address any associated issues such as depression, anxiety or trauma – speak to us in confidence today.

Don Lavender

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