ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Zoe Lindenfeld, PhD; Shelby Steuart, PhD; Sugy Choi
Corresponding Author: Zoe Lindenfeld, PhD; Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University.
Email: Zoe.Lindenfeld@Rutgers.edu
DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2025.250449R1
Keywords: Addiction Medicine, Counseling, Family Relations, Family Support, Substance Use Disorders, Young Adults
Dates: Submitted: 11-25-2025; Accepted: 04-13-2026
Status: In Press.
BACKGROUND: Young adults have lower engagement and retention in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment than other age groups, despite high need. Although family involvement can improve recovery outcomes, little is known about how often treatment facilities involve families or what services they provide. This study assesses the types of family-related services available within SUD treatment facilities.
METHODS: Using websites of a random sample of 530 SUD treatment facilities listed in SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Locator as serving young adults and offering family counseling, we extracted information on family-related services (e.g., therapy, support groups, education). We conducted a content analysis of website text describing these services and categorized them by aim and scope. We also calculated descriptive statistics on facility characteristics and used logistic regression to examine organizational factors associated with listing family-related services.
RESULTS: The final analytic sample included 487 facilities; 66% (n=322) mentioned any family-related service. Content analysis identified five categories: (1) family therapy and counseling, (2) family education or psychoeducation, (3) family support or community-based services, (4) family involvement or engagement in treatment, and (5) parenting- or child-specific services. Facilities in the Midwest were 33 percentage points less likely to list any family-related service (95% CI: −0.23, −0.03) compared to facilities in the Northeast.
CONCLUSIONS: Although family involvement in SUD treatment is evidence-based, many facilities did not list these services, and those that did often described them in limited ways. Variation in state Medicaid reimbursement policies for family-related services may influence both the availability of these services and whether facilities highlight them publicly, and is an important area for future research. Greater accuracy and consistency is needed to understand how widely family-involved services are offered and how their quality varies across facilities.