Nothing is
more important in life than the connections we make with others. In
recovery, having a tribe of people you can count on when things are
both good and bad, is imperative for all ages.
For young
adults, developmentally it is still their peers who have the
strongest influence on them. This makes the need to cultivate a sense
of community within their treatment setting vital.
At the
Claudia Black Young Adult Center, our clients’ age group (18 –
26) the intentional use of community allows this aspect of their
development to be utilized in a positive manner.
Community
is built into the daily structure at the Claudia Black Young Adult
Center; in fact, it’s the heart of the program. It begins upon
admission with peer mentorship. An individual who has been in the
program for a significant amount of time is designated to be the peer
buddy for the newcomer. This person helps the newcomer become
familiar with the geography of the program, and to allay any fears of
being in treatment.
Community
meetings occur each morning as peers and staff come together to share
feelings, express gratitude, and set intentions for the day.
The evening
Tenth Step gratitude meeting is the last group of the day in which
they have the opportunity to engage in inward reflection, own
behaviors that were harmful, and make self-amends or amends to peers
within the support of the group. They often express gratitude citing
healthy recovery risks they took that day, and acknowledge their
peers, staff, and family.
Daily
Opportunities
Our young
adults come to treatment emotionally isolated and disconnected, with
severe self-loathing and the belief that no one will ever see any
value in them. Consequently, realizing their value and worth often
stems from their connections with others with a similar history.
This can be
seen in the case of Cassie. Cassie enters treatment agoraphobic,
depressed, has urges to self-harm, and is afraid to come out of her
room let alone attend group. She is adamant that she is in the wrong
treatment setting. The staff invites the female community at the
Claudia Black Center to hold a group meeting in her room to talk
about their own fears of coming to treatment. As a result, Cassie
feels less fearful, not so alone, and realizes that the other girls
have huge fears too and later that evening she attends her first
group and decides to stay in treatment. The girls that created this
safe setting for Cassie also have their own experience of practicing
a twelfth step, often for the first time.
Another
example is that of Riley who spends the first two weeks in treatment
telling his peers how he isn’t sure why he needs to be there
despite his use of cocaine and marijuana which is threatening his
college sports scholarship. Riley also distinguishes himself
differently from so many others professing he comes from the
“perfect” family with a story to match it. The group has
witnessed him ignoring program policy by using a cell phone and
sneaking visitors on campus after hours. In a regular morning
community meeting, several of his male peers tell him how his
behavior not only impacts his recovery but theirs as well. This use
of community is a major influence in disrupting Riley’s denial and
lack of accountability. As a result, Riley owned the many rules he
was breaking, made amends to his peers, became tearful and revealed
his father, in fact, was in prison and he had not had contact with
his mother in months and she did not even know he was in treatment.
The community responded by extending their hands to Riley and his
roommate shared, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Riley.”
Community helps our young people to not feel alone in their
experience and to realize that many of their peers in the group have
felt the same way.
Then there
is Sam. Sam is scared to invite his dad to family week. His peers
know this, and he asks a couple of the guys if they would come and
sit next to him when he makes the call to his dad. Those guys told
several others, and as Sam calls his dad he is surrounded with love,
compassion, and the strength of his peers.
Community
through Service
Community
is also about having a sense of purpose larger than ones’ self and
providing the opportunity to be of service to the outside community.
We offer multiple opportunities for our young adults to give of
themselves to those who are in need and less fortunate. On a monthly
basis, a group of the Claudia Black Center’s young adults will go
to a nearby city to participate in the preparation and feeding of
over 500 homeless on a given night. When there are community
activities such as the annual Easter Egg Hunt or Christmas giveaways
for disadvantaged children in the local community the young adults
are quickly asked to participate having already demonstrated their
eagerness to participate. The experiences are most often humbling and
they find it an honor to be of service. Such community service
offers a different perspective on their own challenges, which fuels
their gratitude for their own blessings.
In reality,
at the Claudia Black
Young Adult Center, we are creating a community that allows our
young people to work through various challenges in treatment, which
prepares them for the same challenges in which they will be
confronted with on the outside.
Written by
Sonia Buchanan
Originally
published:
http://recoverycampus.com/role-community-treatment-setting/
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