Families that experience co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders are often traumatized in a variety of ways, experiencing violence, abuse and stigma. Many are being identified as the problem rather than part of the solution. As treatment providers, it’s essential that we acknowledge and recharacterize the family experience from denial and enabling to creating services that identify and assess the experiences of trauma within the family. This session will examine the many things to take into consideration when working with families, such as stages of change, family roles and trauma around the family unit. Families often feel shamed and blamed as a result of the treatment experience. When this not taken into consideration, professionals can end up doing more harm than good. This session also will identify the benefits of and strategies for treating families and the traumas they experience.