How to Get Help for Codependent Behavior

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Accept that you need help.

   The first step in getting help for codependent behavior is admitting that you have a problem.
   
   People with codependency are often in denial and refuse to face the problem.
   
   You may blame others or situations for your behavior.
   
   You may not focus on your needs because you are so focused on other people’s needs.To get help, you need to look at yourself and be honest about what you see.
   
   Have your friends or family told you about your codependent behavior? No help you get will be successful if you don’t admit your problem.
2. 2

   Step 2: Undergo psychotherapy.

   Psychotherapy is a proven treatment for codependency.
   
   Psychotherapy includes talk therapy, family therapy, and group therapy.
   
   You receive psychotherapy from a licensed therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, or other mental health professional.In talk therapy, you will talk about your past, your feelings, and your thoughts.
   
   The therapist can help you start figuring out why you are codependent and how to start putting yourself first.
   
   Since codependency often stems from the past, you will work on uncovering things from your past that caused your codependency.You will learn how to build self-esteem and work on liking yourself and thinking that you matter.
   
   You learn how to identify your own thoughts and needs that you may have ignored for years.
   
   You can work on setting boundaries with other people.
   
   This helps you learn how to take responsibility for your life and stop putting others before yourself.
   
   You may also work on learning how to support your loved ones instead of trying to control and fix them.
   
   You’ll learn healthy ways to help others. , If you are suffering from codependency, you can go to a treatment center.
   
   These centers offer codependency recovery programs, where you work with medical professionals to face your codependent behavior and address any underlying reasons for the behavior.If you have an addiction, you can find a treatment center that treats your addiction and codependency together.If you are suffering from depression and anxiety, you can find treatment centers that treat those conditions, too.Some codependency treatment centers focus on helping codependent people who have partners who suffer from substance abuse and addiction.Some treatment centers offer outpatient services, some offer week-long workshops, and other offer residential treatments that last up to 30 days. , One way that you can start getting help for your codependency is to join a support group.
   
   There are 12-step programs and group therapies that can help you address your codependency.
   
   Support groups help you meet other people who are dealing with the same issues you are.In group therapy, you can learn about other people’s struggles and successes.
   
   You can ask questions and share coping techniques.
   
   In 12-step programs, you learn to admit your problems, examine your past, admit to mistakes, and connecting with others who are going through what you are.One example of a group support therapy is Co-Dependents Anonymous. , Often, people who are codependent also have addictions.
   
   These addictions help them deal with their feelings and lack of boundaries.
   
   You may have an addiction to alcohol, drugs, or even food.
   
   To start getting help for your behavior, you need to address your addiction problems.
   
   If you have a problem with addiction, you should see your doctor or visit an addiction treatment center. , The first step of getting help may be to buy a self-help books.
   
   Resources about codependency can help you determine that you have a problem and figure out how codependency affects you.
   
   There may be some helpful steps on how to start making small changes every day to help get over your behavior.While a self-help book or website may provide helpful information, it is only a starting place.
   
   Getting professional help is more effective at treating your codependent behavior than trying to do it on your own.
3. 3

   Step 3: Go to a treatment center.

4. 4

   Step 4: Find a support group.

5. 5

   Step 5: Face any addictions.

6. 6

   Step 6: Buy a self-help book.

Detailed Guide

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