CRAFTCONNECT
Families Heal Program
Families Heal helps you care for a loved one—child or adult—who is struggling with behavior challenges. Healing happens when families take small steps, one skill at a time—together.
Wednesdays, 6:00-7:00pm Mountain Time (US and Canada)
When Someone You Love Is Struggling, You Feel Helpless
You’ve tried talking. You’ve tried warning. You’ve tried pleading. Nothing seems to work.
Families Heal is built on CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) — the leading evidence-based method for helping families influence a loved one struggling with substances or maladaptive behaviors.
No confrontation. No forcing. No waiting for them to be ready. You can begin now.
What Makes Families Heal Different?
Backed by over 30 years of research. Proven to increase treatment entry. Improves your own well-being and confidence. Teaches practical, step-by-step skills. Instead of arguing, you will learn how to:
Respond strategically instead of emotionally
Reduce defensiveness
Stop reinforcing harmful behavior
Strengthen healthy alternatives
Recognize the right moment to invite treatment
You cannot force recovery. You can increase the likelihood of change. Families Heal gives you the tools.
Seven Sessions
Session 1. A fresh start. Hope, influence, and your quality-of-life.
Learn how improving your own well-being increases your influence. This session focuses on reducing stress, strengthening your quality of life, and responding calmly instead of reacting emotionally.
Session 2. Their behavior came out of nowhere. Understanding behavior before responding.
Understand why substance use and harmful behaviors continue. Learn how behavior patterns are reinforced so you can respond strategically and reduce conflict.
Session 3. Nothing I say gets through. Communicating with calm influence and validation.
Master CRAFT communication skills that lower defensiveness and improve difficult conversations. Learn how to validate without agreeing and increase openness.
Session 4. I don’t want to threaten anymore. Removing reinforcement and allowing natural consequences.
Stop unintentionally reinforcing harmful behavior. Learn how to set calm boundaries and allow natural consequences without confrontation.
Session 5. Catch the good early. Encouraging behavior you want to see more of.
Use positive reinforcement to strengthen sober and responsible behavior. Discover how small moments of progress can grow into lasting change.
Session 6. Problem solving and safety planning.
Break overwhelming situations into small, achievable steps. Learn structured problem-solving and safety planning to build momentum and stability.
Session 7. I just want to see progress. Inviting treatment and supporting ongoing change.
Learn how to recognize windows of opportunity and increase the likelihood your loved one enters and stays in treatment—without force or pressure.
Sample Session
This is an excerpt from Session 3. Nothing I say gets through.
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1. Be brief. Resist the urge to bring up too much. Keep it simple.
2. Be specific and clear. Focus on one thing.
3. Be positive while communicating what you want. Avoid blaming, name calling and over generalization.
4. Label your feelings. Describe the emotional impact on you in a calm, non-judgmental, non-accusatory way.
5. Offer an understanding statement. Try seeing it from the other person’s point of view.
6. Accept partial responsibility. Share a small piece of the problem.
7. Offer to help.
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What do you notice about the principles of PIUS communication that might be different from how you have been communicating?
Negative “You” vs. PIUS statements.
As we read through the following examples of negative “You” and positive “I” (PIUS) statements think about the different messages they deliver.
Negative “You”: You always get drunk and embarrass me.
PIUS: I enjoy being with you when you don’t drink. I know it’s not always easy for you, so that makes it really special.
Negative “You”: You never listen to me when I’m talking to you.
PIUS: I understand that some of our conversations are upsetting, I’d love it if you could help me work them out.
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Step 1. Write down a verbal/text or email interaction between you and your loved.
Step 2. Using the seven principles of PIUS communication re-write what you might say the next time the same situation occurs to limit defensiveness and not lead to an argument.
I... (HOW DO YOU FEEL?)
when you...(DESCRIBE THE BEHAVIOR OR CONDITION)
because... (WHY DO YOU FEEL THIS WAY?)
I would like... (WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HAPPEN?)
I know... (YOU UNDERSTAND THE OTHER’S POSITION)
How can I help... (YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SHARE RESPONSIBILITY)
Step 3. Share your ”before and after” statements with the group.
Positive Communication with I Statements.
What People Are Saying
Most important things I learned from my CRAFTCONNECT study
“New PIUS (positive I-statement) communication skills to interact differently with my loved one.”
“I am not alone. It is “therapeutic” to be in a support group.”
“Self-care and self-compassion.”
“I Didn’t CAUSE, can’t CONTROL, and can’t CURE my loved one’s addiction.”
How the relationship with my loved one improved
“My expectations have changed due to the knowledge I have gained.”
“Our communication is calm and very open. I feel confident holding a conversation safely, without major blow ups.”
“I am able to “self-regulate” and respond. I think about my words and actions instead of just reacting.”
