What IS Recovery Coach Training?
Recovery Coaching has been around for some time now. Recovery Coaching is important as it helps those struggling with addiction succeed through alternative means of recovering from drug or alcohol addiction and mental health issues that coincide with their addiction, as opposed to traditional treatments such as inpatient or outpatient drug and alcohol treatment, rehab, cognitive behavioral therapy, halfway houses aka sober living environments or homes, meetings including alcoholics anonymous and narcotics anonymous and more, medical detox, and so on. A Certified Recovery Coach can give a recovering addict or alcoholic a feeling of independence while at the same time, knowing they are not alone through their recovery journey.
What is Recovery Coaching anyway? A Recovery Coach focuses on strengths-based attributes to support those who are in active addiction or otherwise in recovery from addiction or alcoholism, even from addictive behaviors, being codependent on friends and family and other addictions including sex addiction, food addiction, gambling addiction and more. Recovery Coaches help in decision making when it comes to how to change one’s life, when they’ve never been given the tools or education to live a life like most “normal” people, or normies. ‘No Education’ does not necessarily mean schooling in this case; It means that quite often, those suffering substance abuse disorder or mental health problems haven’t been brought up in a good environment, and they simply haven’t had a chance to live the same kind of life that a lot of people get to live. They grow up in bad neighborhoods, or around parents or friends and family otherwise that abuse drugs or alcohol around them, are abusive mentally and physically. On the other hand, addiction and mental health disorders affect everyone, even those who live rich and lavish lifestyles, whether they were born into money or worked their way to it.
However, regardless of the person’s past; Recovery Coaches do not focus on the past. They are not like the typical therapist who tries to help heal traumatic emotional damage. Recovery Coaches do not diagnose addiction or mental illness, as they are considered non-clinical. A Recovery Coach supports successful, positive change in the person’s life who is seeking or in recovery. They help to set goals the client wishes to achieve, make action plans, hold accountability and more. Similar roles to Recovery Coaching are Sober Escort, Sober Companion, Recovery Support Specialist, Family Recovery Coach, and many others.
As a Nationally Certified Recovery Coach, you will learn many skills. Some of those skills include coping and life skills, accessing community supports, relapse prevention, nutrition, planning, goal setting, the difference between Recovery Coaching and therapy, sponsorship, etc., different terminologies including mental health and DSM-5. As mentioned above, you will deal with both criminal and non-criminal clients, wealthy and non-wealthy. Not only will you be helping others, even loved ones, you will be able to make a living as a Recovery Coach. ICF (International Coaching Federation) states that in 2016 alone, there were over 17,000 coaches in North America who collectively, made over $955 million (averaging to approx. $56k each). Also, nearly 60 percent of coaches claimed increases in clients in the past year. This is with recovery and addiction coaching being relatively new.
Let’s talk more about some of the things you will be working with your client on as a Certified Recovery Coach. One thing mentioned above is relapse prevention. Some say relapse is a part of recovery, others may become judgmental or biased once they have years of recovery and say the opposite. Either way, this doesn’t matter to some because no two recoveries are identical; Everyone has their own path to take. Some do not believe in ‘triggers’, but the simple fact is that triggers do exist for those in recovery, especially early recovery. Things like a recovering alcoholic driving by a liquor store and being tempted or bothered by it, and can either drive past or sometimes will stop, buy liquor, relapse; It can happen that fast. When relapse occurs, a Recovery Coach can help with a faster recovery from said relapse than what the client might be able to do on their own or with other means.
Recovery Coaches may encourage clients to participate in meetings or groups if they so choose. Another method you may work with is called ‘Harm Reduction’. A recovery coach can help their client(s) make decisions that will keep them from escalating to full blown addiction, with control and healthy choices that may bring a more positive outcome if-so they choose a path of harm reduction rather than complete abstinence. In other words, a Nationally Certified Recovery Coach supports their client where they are, in order to build and maintain a solid foundation within their recovery, then building on top of recovery to meet bigger life goals to live a better life altogether, making recovery worthwhile.
Accountability plays a vital role in recovery, whether it is with harm reduction or other ‘methods’ to recovery. As a Recovery Coach, you would hold your client accountable by keeping in check with them, encouraging honesty through their recovery, and trust between recovery coach and client; Meaning the client knows you will not judge them, encouraging them to be honest with you at all times when approaching situations that are either positive or negative for them.
The Addictions Academy offers Nationally Certified Recovery Coach Training, and you can learn more about both levels of training by visiting the direct link HERE.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovery_coaching/
https://www.thetemper.com/what-is-a-recovery-coach/
https://www.recoveryconnection.com/what-is-a-recovery-coach/
