Family Systems and Substance Use Disorders: Treating the System, Not Just the Symptom

Derrick Johnson

PhD, LCMHC, LCAS, NCC

May 12, 2026, 8:45 AM-12:00 PM(EST)

Session Description

In this three-hour training we will examine substance use disorders through a family systems lens, emphasizing the ways addiction reorganizes family dynamics, family roles, and overall quality of life. Rather than focusing solely on the identified patient (client), this presentation explores how stress, loss, and chronic adaptation shape family functioning and influence treatment outcomes.

Participants will be introduced to core family system concepts, including systemic patterns, family roles, disenfranchised grief, and quality of life as a clinical outcome. This training also highlights ethical considerations related to excluding families from treatment and examines why individual (only) approaches to treatment often fail to produce sustained recovery. Emphasis is placed on helping clinicians understand relapse as a systemic process rather than solely an individual failure.

This presentation provides counselors, clinicians, and graduate students an ethically grounded understanding of family-informed approaches to substance use treatment.

Presenter

Derrick Johnson, PhD, LCMHC, LCAS, NCC, is a psychotherapist, educator, and consultant specializing in family systems, substance use disorders, grief and loss, LGBTQ+ issues, and trauma-informed care. He serves as adjunct faculty at MSU Denver (Denver, Colorado) and teaches adjunct counseling courses at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Johnson or better known as “dr. d,” has presented at numerous national and regional conferences and has published on the impact of substance use disorders on families, with particular attention to quality of life, systemic stress, and disenfranchised grief. His work also emphasizes culturally responsive and affirming practice with LGBTQ+ individuals and families affected by addiction. He is the founder and former Executive Director of NorthStar Clinical Services and brings both academic and clinical perspectives to his teaching and consultation.

Questions?

Please contact Dr. Natalie Ricciutti at nricciut@charlotte.edu or 704-687-8960 if you have questions regarding the program.

Please contact Dr. Jordan Z. Boyd at jboyd44@charlotte.edu if you have questions regarding registration.