Family Therapy for Addiction

Helping Support Families and Loved Ones

Addiction is a family illness – we help support loved ones with therapy and workshops.

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Page Clinically Reviewed on 3 July 202418 March 2025 by Victoria McCann BA, MSc | Communications Director & Editorial Lead Victoria is a Director and Editorial Lead at Castle Craig, with over a decade of experience in addiction treatment communications and a passion for clear, ethical, stigma-free communication.

Family Therapy

We understand how challenging it can be to live with someone affected by addiction. We also know that good support from family and friends is essential to achieving long-lasting recovery. That’s why we offer support to the whole family – not just the patient – from the moment someone approaches us for treatment.

Every week, family members are invited to Castle Craig to visit their relatives and attend educational lectures, family therapy sessions, and support meetings.

Family Therapy Programme

Our family therapy programme helps patients and their families to repair and build better relationships with each other – relationships which have often been fractured due to the addiction. 

By enabling family members to express their feelings in a supportive environment, we lay the foundations for better communication and ongoing family connection after the patient leaves us. 

What Does Family Therapy at Rehab Involve?

Each family is offered sessions with their relative’s lead therapist. These sessions usually take place online, but can also be face-to-face if convenient. 

During the sessions, family members learn about addiction, to help them better understand their relative’s behaviour. They are encouraged to listen to each other and work together to develop collaborative ways of coping with challenges. 

Research shows that involving family members in addiction treatment leads to much better outcomes. 

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Goals of Family Therapy for Addiction

• Develop a more compassionate understanding of addiction and its impact on the whole family.
• Facilitate, and sometimes reestablish, communication between family members, as relationships may have broken down or been severely damaged.
• Deepen understanding of family dynamics and the different roles family members adopt about addiction. Without realising it, some family members may have played an enabling role in the addiction. 
• Help family members to rebuild their own lives.
• Learn methods to support ongoing recovery as a family unit.

Family Recovery Workshops

We also offer weekend recovery workshops for families to share their experiences and learn more about addiction. Led by a highly experienced family therapist, these online workshops run over two days and cover issues such as aftercare and relapse, developing healthy boundaries, and ways to resolve conflict.    

Family Support After Inpatient Treatment

Family members are encouraged to join a monthly support group and will be given details about how to sign up for it.

Castle Craig’s outpatient therapy service offers online family counselling for family members who need further therapy to strengthen family bonds and resolve conflicts. These sessions take place online with an accredited psychotherapist.

About Family Therapy

Family therapy at a residential rehab clinic is a crucial part of the treatment process. It encourages open communication between family members in a safe environment, with a therapist present. Family therapy helps to identify and address family dynamics, improve communication, and create collaborative coping mechanisms.

Family therapy helps the patient to better understand how their addiction has impacted their family, and consider how to repair those relationships. Ultimately, family therapy helps to establish a stronger foundation of trust and support, which will assist a patient’s recovery journey.