There’s a phrase going around that says, “If you can get a person to five years of recovery they are likely to make it to ten years.” But how do you get someone to five years when more than three out of four relapse in the first year? We now know that acute addiction care is not enough. Treatment is a great first step, but people facing addiction clearly need more support when they leave. Professional Recovery Coaching (PRC) is ongoing support that can help a person stay in recovery without relapsing.
PRC provides the opportunity for custom-designed learning and recovery support that is not available anywhere else. Working with professional coaches allows those facing addiction to identify what specific forms of support (for example: therapy, 12-step, journaling, church, SMART, running, etc.) are important to them and to participate in a whole life recovery process that produces immediate and tangible benefits.
How does coaching work? In PRC the client identifies what goals they want to work toward, what problems need to be addressed and what barriers may stand it the way. Coach and client together come up with possible solutions while the client decides what actions to take and the order to take them in. A huge advantage working with a coach is that the coach sticks around to cheer the client on, to celebrate wins, and to help figure out what’s working and what’s not.
One treatment center that provides coaching after graduation found that it dramatically reduced the relapse rate and that the few addicts who did relapse quickly returned to sobriety with the help of their coach. Professional Recovery Coaching may be the key to helping someone stay in recovery for five years so they can make it to ten.
Do you know someone who needs more help to stay in recovery? If you would like to recommend a coach, check out the coaches listed at Recovery Coaches International www.recoverycoaching.org. If you are interested in becoming a professional Recovery Coach take a look at the program offered by Crossroads Recovery Coaching www.crossroadscoaching.net.
Sherry Gaba, LCSW and Life/Recovery Coach is the Psychotherapist and Life/Recovery Coach on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew on VH1. Sherry is the author of “The Law of Sobriety”. You can contact Sherry at sherry@sgabatherapy.com to learn more about her Psychotherapy practice, Recovery/Life Coaching, workshops, up-coming teleseminars, webinars, conferences, speaking engagements, and book signings.
