Supporting the Supporters: A Group for Family Members Affected by a Loved One’s Substance Use

When someone you love struggles with substance use, it can feel like everything revolves around them — their choices, their safety, their recovery. Often, the people supporting them are left carrying fear, guilt, grief, anger, hope, and exhaustion, with very little space to process their own experience. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone — and you deserve support too.

Our Support Group for Family Members Affected by a Loved One’s Substance Use was created specifically for those who are holding a lot. This is a place to set some of it down.

Loving someone who uses substances can be deeply isolating. You may find yourself questioning your decisions, your boundaries, or even your role in their struggles. You may feel pressure to stay strong, stay positive, or keep everything together — even when you’re overwhelmed inside. This group offers a safe, compassionate space to explore all of those experiences without judgment.

Over six weekly virtual sessions, participants will have the opportunity to process the complex emotions that often come with loving someone who struggles with substance use, including grief, guilt, fear, anger, and hope. The group also offers education about substance use — how it affects the brain and body, why change can be so difficult, and why recovery is often messy and nonlinear. Understanding these realities can help reduce self-blame and bring clarity to what you may be experiencing.

A key focus of the group is supporting your wellbeing. Together, we will explore practical tools for setting and maintaining boundaries, prioritizing self-care, and reconnecting with your own needs — not as an afterthought, but as something essential. Participants often share that one of the most powerful aspects of group work is the connection: being in a room (even a virtual one) with others who truly understand what you’re going through.

This group is facilitated by Kate Scott, BSW, MSW, RSW, and Ruth Greenspan, BSW, MSW, RSW, who together bring over 45 years of combined clinical experience. Kate is a PhD student specializing in substance use and mental health challenges, with over 15 years of clinical experience — including 10 years supporting family members — as well as personal understanding of what it means to love someone who struggles with substance use. Ruth brings over 30 years of experience walking alongside individuals, couples, and families as they heal from trauma, grief, and loss. Together, they offer a grounded, compassionate, and deeply informed approach to group facilitation.

Group Details:The group runs for six sessions from January 22 to February 26, 2026, meeting weekly on Wednesdays from 6:00–7:30 PM. Sessions are held virtually, with a link provided upon registration. Spaces are limited to support meaningful connection.

If you’ve been carrying this quietly, this group offers a place to be seen, supported, and understood. You don’t have to do this alone.

To register or learn more, please email welcome@thewellnesshive.ca or call 905-380-8421.