Podcast XTRA: Q&A with Hillary AntinePodcast XTRA: Q&A with Hillary Antine
My Child & ADDICTION
Hillary Antine answers parents’ questions about family therapy, intergenerational dysfunction and process addictions such as gaming and gambling. The conversation focuses on communication, timing of family work and why parents doing their own work can strongly support a child in treatment.
10:26•21 Oct 2026
Q&A with Hillary Antine on Family Therapy and Process Addictions
Episode Overview
- Family therapy aims to improve communication by challenging rigid narratives between parents and children.
- Intergenerational dysfunction involves inherited messages about money, food, relationships and values that shape current family patterns.
- Process addictions such as gaming and gambling can emerge when substance use stops, often as a way to avoid difficult emotions.
- Process groups and journalling help get painful experiences out of the head, reducing the tendency to make problems worse internally.
- Hillary suggests the most helpful thing parents can do is "do your own work" so they can support their child from a clearer, less fearful place.
“"What's the number one thing I can do to help my loved one in treatment? It's do your own work."”
What secrets to maintaining sobriety can be uncovered when families get involved? This bonus Q&A episode of *My Child & Addiction* brings Hillary Antine from Caron Treatment Centers into the hot seat, answering the kind of practical, worried-parent questions that usually come up after a support group meeting. The conversation focuses on how families can actually help recovery rather than accidentally fuel chaos.
Hillary explains the core aim of family therapy as making communication work again, especially when everyone is stuck in rigid stories about each other. She jokes that it can be like "a Republican and a Democrat trying to change each other" and says a therapist acts as a bridge so parents and children can finally hear one another. You’ll hear Hillary unpack "intergenerational dysfunction" – those inherited messages about money, food, relationships and success that quietly drive family behaviour.
She stresses how important it is to notice what you’re passing on, rather than assuming your reactions appeared out of nowhere. A big part of the episode looks at process addictions such as video gaming and online gambling. Hillary explains that once substance use is removed, addictive patterns can simply shift into behaviours: "we call that process addictions" and they’re often used to dodge difficult feelings.
Group work and writing are described as key tools to get painful thoughts out of your head before they spiral. For parents wondering what they can do right now, Hillary is clear: "what's the number one thing I can do to help my loved one in treatment? It's do your own work." She outlines why families don’t jump straight into therapy, typically waiting around 30 days so the young person can stabilise, gain perspective and start taking accountability.
If you’re a parent feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to start, this conversation might help you feel less alone and more prepared to take your own steps alongside your child. Could doing your own work be the most supportive move you make?
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