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The family program at Simonds Recovery Centers helps families in Los Angeles support a loved one through addiction treatment and recovery. Addiction is often called a family disease because it affects everyone close to the person, not just the individual using. Based at our Granada Hills facility, the program combines family therapy, education, and support sessions so families make sense of addiction, address codependency and enabling, and rebuild trust. Family involvement is part of treatment from the start.
How addiction affects the family
Addiction affects the whole family, not only the person using a substance. Partners, parents, children, and siblings often absorb the stress of unpredictable behavior, financial strain, broken trust, and the constant worry that comes with a loved one’s substance use. Over time, family members can fall into patterns such as codependency or enabling, where they unintentionally protect the addiction by covering for the person or managing consequences on their behalf.
These patterns are normal responses to a hard situation, and they can change. Family therapy gives everyone affected a place to make sense of what addiction is, process their own experience, and learn a healthier way to support recovery.
Family roles in addiction
When addiction takes hold, family members often fall into predictable roles that develop to cope with the stress. Recognizing these roles is a common starting point in family therapy, because naming the pattern is the first step toward changing it.
Commonly described roles include the enabler, who shields the person from consequences; the hero, who overachieves to draw attention away from the problem; the scapegoat, who acts out and absorbs blame; the mascot, who uses humor to ease tension; and the lost child, who withdraws to avoid adding stress. These roles are not anyone’s fault, and they are not fixed. Family therapy helps each member see the role they have taken on and move toward healthier ways of relating.
What our family program includes
Our family program combines three elements: family therapy, education, and support sessions. Together they address both the relationships affected by addiction and the practical questions families face during treatment.
Family therapy gives families a guided space to work through conflict, rebuild communication, and address the hurt that addiction causes, drawing on the same evidence-based approaches used across our programs, including CBT and DBT. Education explains how substance use disorders work, what treatment involves, and what recovery realistically looks like, so families know what to expect. Support sessions connect families with others going through the same experience, which reduces the isolation that often surrounds a loved one’s addiction.
Who the family program is for
The family program is for anyone close to a person in treatment at Simonds: spouses and partners, parents, adult children, siblings, and others in a primary caregiving role. Families do not need to have everything figured out to take part. The program meets people where they are, whether they are angry, exhausted, hopeful, or unsure how to help.
It is equally for families who want to understand addiction before their loved one enters treatment and for those supporting someone already in detox or residential care.
Why family involvement matters in recovery
Family involvement supports long-term recovery, and family-based approaches are well established in addiction treatment research for improving outcomes. The reason is practical: the home environment shapes what happens after treatment ends. When families understand addiction and change the patterns that surrounded it, the person in recovery returns to a setting that reinforces their progress rather than the conditions that fed the addiction.
Recovery continues at home long after structured treatment finishes. A family that has done its own work is better prepared to set healthy boundaries, recognize warning signs, and stay steady through the ups and downs that follow.
How the family program fits into treatment
The family program runs alongside the clinical care a loved one receives, from medical detox through residential treatment and into outpatient care. As the person moves through the continuum, family work helps prepare everyone for the transition back to daily life, supported by sober living and our alumni program where appropriate.
Families supporting someone who has not yet started treatment can call our admissions team to understand the options and the next step.
Insurance and getting started
Coverage for family services depends on your plan and the treatment your loved one is receiving. We work with most major insurance carriers, including Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Optum, and Humana, among others, and our admissions team confirms what your specific plan covers.
Verifying benefits takes a few minutes and carries no obligation. Submit the insurance verification form or call +1 (833) 781-8338.
Medically reviewed by
Chris Small, M.D. Addiction Psychiatrist. Dr. Small is board certified in Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, and Family Medicine. He earned his medical degree at the University of Hawaii and completed his residency in Psychiatry and Family Medicine at UCSD.
Support your loved one’s recovery
Talk to our admissions team about involving your family in treatment. Call +1 (833) 781-8338 or verify your insurance now.
