Victoria McCann BA, MSc

Communications Director & Editorial Lead

Victoria McCann, BA, MSc, is Communications Director & Editorial Lead at Castle Craig and a member of the clinic’s founding family. With over a decade of experience in addiction treatment communications, she leads the creation of clear, compassionate content that supports patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Victoria is committed to reducing stigma around addiction and mental health, and brings strategic insight and lived sector knowledge to her work. She regularly attends and organises addiction treatment conferences across the UK and Europe, promoting high standards of care and best practice in the field. Victoria also works with the media to raise awareness and share informed perspectives on addiction and recovery. The Herald, The Times, BBC, STV, The Times, New York Post, The Guardian.

Patient Reviews

At Smarmore Castle we welcome our patients’ feedback about our services, the treatment they received, and the attitude of our staff, as we aim to constantly improve the care we give to each patient to excellent standards. We keep in touch with our former patients and are glad to receive notes and letters from the […]

Getting to Smarmore Castle

Our Location The admissions department is happy to provide useful information regarding travel; however, you must arrange your own travel tickets. By Train The nearest train station is Drogheda, located just 22km/13miles from Smarmore Castle. Trains from Dublin to Drogheda run every 30 minutes and take around 45 minutes. Depending on the time of day, taxi fares […]

Mindfulness Meditation

Helping Beat Stress, Anxiety & Depression Mindfulness aims to treat the following conditions:Mindfulness Meditation helps to treat stress, anxiety, depression and compulsive behaviours. Hyperarousal and flashbacks can be alleviated with mindfulness techniques and reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and also reduce physical pain. Mindfulness in Relapse Prevention Patients are given the opportunity to learn how to […]

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy

What is Equine Therapy? Equine assisted therapy is an active psychotherapeutic intervention involving horses and guided by a trained equine therapist. Therapy can be conducted on an individual or group basis depending on the addiction treatment needs. People suffering from alcohol and drug addiction, emotional trauma (including PTSD and dissociative process), low-self esteem, eating disorders, learning difficulties, anxiety […]

Drumming Therapy

Drumming and Communication We are introducing drumming therapy to the complementary therapy programme at Smarmore Castle as soon as possible. Drumming groups have been used at other addiction treatmetnt centres for many years and are a popular part of any complementary therapy and activity programme. Communication Aids Recovery – Drumming Aids Communication Drumming helps the mind […]

Aquatherapy

Aquatherapy is a form of exercise that uses water to relax the body and enhance recovery. People battling addiction to drugs and alcohol may lack the endurance and energy to work out. However, aquatherapy can be an answer to this problem. The buoyancy of the water eases the force of gravity, making the patient feel […]

Teletherapy Sessions in Recovery

Therapy via Webcam On leaving Smarmore Castle, patients are most vulnerable to relapse in the first few months following treatment. Re-entering everyday life can be very challenging because they will encounter a great deal of temptation, as well as old triggers to addictive behaviour.We provide patients with a teletherapy programme to consolidate their recovery after […]

What is Residential Rehab?

A residential rehabilitation treatment facility is one where patients live in the addiction clinic for the whole of the rehab treatment programme. The Benefits of Residential Rehab Higher Rehab Success Rates Many addiction specialists believe that inpatient rehabilitation programmes offer a higher success rate for the patient’s’ physical and psychological recovery than outpatient clinics. No Temptations […]

Personalised 1-to-1 Therapy for Addiction Treatment

Individual therapy is talking psychotherapy that uses psychological methods to help someone overcome addictions, other mental and behavioural health problems, negative beliefs, as well as improve relationships and social skills. There are hundreds of psychotherapy techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy to interpersonal therapy and psychodynamic therapy to transactional analysis. Recovery from addiction is not just about stopping […]

Group Therapy for Addiction

Entering an alcohol and drug treatment program requires courage and means you are a step closer to finding long-term freedom from addiction. However, many often experience fear, not only about getting clean and/or sober but of the therapeutic process and the prospect of being honest with yourself and others. Group therapy is one of the […]

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Our life experiences form a set of beliefs and expectations about ourselves and the world around us which can influence our behaviour. This is an involuntary process and these beliefs can distort how we perceive ourselves and other people, leading to problems with mental health including addiction. Obstacles to addiction recovery, such as our negative […]

Family Therapy for Addiction Treatment

Addiction is a cause of significant distress and disruption for affected individuals and their family networks. Many will feel a sense of hopelessness having tried what they think is everything to help their loved one recover. They may struggle not to make the person struggling with addiction a scapegoat which can compound the severity and […]