I really appreciated the post from uniquedancer. She brought to mind again the difficulty of “staying” in recovery! Of course at Mirasol a therapist works with the client for up to a year after treatment (most programs do not do this). However, I strongly believe that we (meaning treatment providers) need to provide even more support during that crucial year after treatment. We are working with our aftercare specialists to develop a dynamite aftercare program that I’ll make available to everyone as soon as it’s finished.
I will say that I’ve been struggling to perfect the program for over 6 months, and I would love some suggestions. We’re creating a book as well as a cell phone program to help people track themselves, their food, and their behaviors. It’s meant to help them plan all aspects of their recovery. This is all necessary, all good… and oh, so boring! No wonder people stop doing these kinds of tasks and drop out of recovery!
How can I make this fun? How can I weave the necessary spirituality into this program? How can I make it one of depth while simultaneously teaching people how to continue to have fun and be well? How can it be so interesting that people won’t blow it off?
I’d love some suggestions — including other books you’ve read. The skill building and tracking is easy, but developing a full, rich program is not. Thanks in advance for helping!! It is my goal to help many more people recover than ever before…..
