Most clients entering a treatment environment/ relationship do so with fear and ambivalence. The fear is fear of an alien environment, the feeling of vulnerability and lack of control, and the suspicion that they are in a place where they will not be understood and accepted… The earliest moments in the initiation of the treatment relationship must communicate the following to the client:
- You are in the right place.
- You are with others like yourself.
- We understand you and the world you come from.
- We accept who you are and who you can become.
- This is a place where magic (change) can happen.
From: Pathways from the Culture of Addiction to the Culture of Recovery by William L. White
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Published by Jason Schwartz
I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Views expressed here are my own.
Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.
View all posts by Jason Schwartz
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Thank you for posting, Jason! When executive level professionals leave treatment, they have those same fears: loss of control, becoming vulnerable, identifying with others. But on top of those concerns is the overriding question: Can I be a successful leader AND stay in recovery? In coaching, they have the space to address this question (and others) as they arise…sorting things out in real time and in a safe space.
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