October 6, 2025 
Michael Scheer, LMFT 
When resistance shows up after mental health or addiction treatment, most families see a wall. You want to help your loved one stay on track, but sometimes they pull away or shut down. Families may push harder, hoping to protect progress. A loved one may pull away, unsure how to stay open when change feels new and uncomfortable.
But resistance isn’t refusal. It’s protection. A nervous system saying, “I’m not safe yet.”
In my clinical work, I’ve learned that resistance is a universal phenomenon. A parent might see a son skip therapy appointments. A partner might notice shorter conversations or quieter dinners. These are often signs of overwhelm, not disinterest. Families can resist by clinging to control. Therapists can resist by tightening control. Clients can resist by shutting down. Resistance isn’t proof of failure; it’s proof that something important is being touched.
At Camden Case Management, we teach clients and families to see resistance as a doorway, not a dead end. Our therapist-led teams take a scaffolded approach, guiding small steps: a mentor sitting in the car with a client who can’t yet walk into therapy, a companion cooking one meal with someone who feels overwhelmed, and a case manager slowing down family expectations so that panic doesn’t ignite more resistance.
These aren’t tricks. They’re embodied wins, lived moments of safety that shift the system. And because every Camden Case Management team is backed by dual supervision and clinical insight, no client, family member, or therapist is left to face resistance alone.
Camden Case Management helps families navigate resistance during and after mental health or addiction treatment, offering therapist-led support that keeps progress steady when motivation wavers.
Healing isn’t linear. Resistance proves it. But when reframed, resistance becomes the very place where change takes root. When resistance is met with understanding instead of fear, therapy has room to keep growing.
Therapy succeeds when it’s lived.
