Family Therapy at Castle Craig

Dear Family Member,

The family programme at Castle Craig is designed to help families, friends, colleagues or employers understand the nature of addiction, the effect on close relatives and colleagues and how to support the recovery process.

The primary therapist will arrange for at least two counselling sessions with the patient and family which will provide education about addiction to facilitate communication and allow each member to construct new goals for the future.

Sunday afternoons at Castle Craig are an opportunity, not only for you to visit, but also to participate in the therapeutic activities, which include: a lecture, counselling, meetings of Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon.

The programme includes:

1. Education

Addiction often causes such disturbance in the family that it has often been described as a "family illness". In addition many alcohol and drug dependent patients also come from a family system where alcohol and drugs have been misused.

Our family programme provides education through the use of lectures, video material, pamphlets, books, interactive discussions, group work and individual therapy.

We also discuss the myth of willpower and look at some of the ineffective ways in which family and colleagues generally try to deal with addiction. Family members are helped to understand that they "did not cause, cannot cure or cannot control" this illness.  

2. Introduction to the Value of Twelve Step Support Groups

The Twelve Step Programme of Alcoholics Anonymous is, in many ways, "the spine" of the treatment programme at Castle Craig. Participants in the family programme are helped to understand the importance of Twelve Step meeting attendance and learn about the work of Al-Anon and Families Anonymous. While these agencies are not connected formally with Castle Craig we greatly welcome these meetings on the premises.

3. Assisting Participants to Understand the Family Interactions and Dynamics of Addiction

Many people who attend our family programme are suffering, enveloped by the tragic consequences of addiction. During therapy participants invariably discover new choices for themselves and move from confusion and despair to a new hope and optimism.

We at Castle Craig hope that you, the family member, will become fully involved in your loved one’s treatment and we are always available to answer any questions that you may have.

Yours sincerely

Lee Taylor
Specialist Therapist