USARA’s CRAFT Family Support Groups is a free program for family members and friends who are concerned about someone close to them who has a substance use disorder. These groups are available throughout Utah (see calendar below for locations). This support group helps “us” as family members to cope with the impact of addiction and understand how it has changed our lives. As family members, we can have our own journey of recovery. The CRAFT Family Support program goal hopes to ultimately help a loved one who is struggling with a substance use disorder while supporting family and friends to make life changes that can improve our relationships and create an environment that encourages our loved one to move toward recovery.

USARA’s Family Support program was implemented using the evidence-based intervention model called CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training). USARA established a peer-facilitated Family Recovery Coach approach to offer a 12-session CRAFT Family Support Group applying exercises identified in each chapter from the book, “Get Your Loved One Sober”, subtitled, Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening, written by Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D. and Brenda L. Wolfe, Ph.D., published by Hazelden. The CRAFT model is a non-confrontational approach that identifies behavioral principles like reinforcement and provides family members with tools and instructions for changing our interactions with our loved ones, which in turn helps change our loved one’s behavior.

In 2008, USARA began facilitating an educational family support group format to discuss 12 chapter topics and exercises in Meyer and Wolfe’s Get Your Loved One Sober book. In 2016, USARA’s team of Peer Family Support Coaches developed a workbook applying the tools identified in each chapter of the book.

The CRAFT Family Support Groups are facilitated by Peer Family Recovery Coaches who have received training on how to facilitate the 12-session model. The facilitator teaches and supports family members, referred to as the Concerned Significant Others (CSOs), how to utilize key CRAFT principles and practice activities that are more effective ways to help their family member, referred to as a Loved One (LO), who is struggling with substance use.

Included each week in USARA’s CRAFT Family Support sessions are personal introductions and a “check-in” so family members can talk about their week and how they supported themselves, even in chaotic and challenging situations with their Loved One. The 12-week sessions follow Chapter references and Workbook.

1.  Session One: Chapter 1, The Program
2. Session Two: Chapter 9, Communication
3. Session Three: Chapter 2, The Road Map
4. Session Four: Chapter 3, Play it Safe
5. Session Five: Chapter 4, Pick a Destination
6. Session Six: Chapter 5, The Driver’s Seat
7. Session Seven: Chapter 6, Let the Good Times Roll
8. Session Eight: Chapter 7, Disable the Enabling
9. Session Nine: Chapter 8, Problem Solving
10. Session Ten: Chapter 10, Behavior Basics
11. Session Eleven: Chapter 11, Treatment
12. Session Twelve: Chapter 12, Recovery Management