WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF RECOVERY COACHING?
Initially, the purpose of recovery coaching is to empower you to let go of addictive, self-destructive, compulsive behaviors and to help you maintain a sober, healthy, balanced lifestyle. The ultimate goal of recovery coaching is “wellness:” that state of optimal well-being oriented toward maximizing an individual’s potential. I will help empower you to create the kind of life you’ve always longed for – a successful and meaningful life with enhanced physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and financial well-being and fulfillment of your potential. Potentially, this could include a more fulfilling career, more fulfilling and balanced relationships, and better mental and spiritual health. You may experience a heightened sense of direction and purpose, of hope, belonging, spiritual growth, enlightenment, clarity, choices, freedom, motivation, and independence.
Recovery coaching provides you with the structure, guidance and motivation required to collaboratively develop a set of life and recovery goals, a plan of action, and a framework of accountability to reach those goals. The point is to:
- keep recovery behaviors on track
- provide a supportive context for individuals and families to explore and pursue their future direction and goals;
- identify and develop plans to overcome internal and systemic barriers that interfere with achievement of those goals; and
- generally help the affected individual or family fulfill their inherent potential.
WHAT DOES A RECOVERY COACH DO IN EARLY RECOVERY?
Getting sober and staying sober is difficult and fraught with many inherent challenges. (One statistic states that only 1 in 33 alcoholics will get sober and stay sober.) The newly-recovering person is often in desperate need of support and guidance regarding how to stay sober and clean and/or abstinent. During the first 6 months to a year, the goal of recovery coaching is to break the cycle of addiction or codependence. The initial focus after coming out of rehab is getting readjusted to life at home and work, and getting established in the process and disciplines of recovery. This generally includes establishing a network, a set of meetings, a sponsor, and reinforcement of new, positive, recovery-oriented thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
A recovery coach may work with just the affected individual or with the entire family if necessary. The coach helps you outline a plan for continued abstinence and positive change, and helps pave the way forward to a healthy, balanced, recovery-based lifestyle.
WHAT DOES A RECOVERY COACH DO IN MIDDLE- TO LATE-STAGE RECOVERY?
Recovery coaching may also be helpful after the initial phase of recovery. It is not uncommon for people with long-term recovery to feel “stuck”, i.e. to hit a plateau where they are no longer growing and don’t know why. Life may feel stale rather than exciting. It is not unusual for some recovering people to “hit a new bottom” in recovery; i.e. to become overwhelmed because of a dysfunctional relationship, a career path that is not working, an unhealthy behavior that cannot be overcome, depression or despair, a sense of life being out of balance, or other such factors. They may feel unfulfilled spiritually, emotionally and/or professionally – they have become alienated from the needs and purposes of their deep, inner, authentic self.
Others might notice that they are lacking either direction or motivation to attain the goals they are really seeking in recovery, or, in simple terms, they are struggling to maintain their recovery process and live a full, meaningful life.
In such cases, the “same old, same old” style of recovery is just not working anymore. Something genuinely new is needed. At such junctures, a recovery coach can be “just what the doctor ordered.” A recovery coach can help you:
- keep recovery behaviors on track
- provide a supportive context for individuals and groups to explore their future direction and goals
- identify and develop plans to overcome internal and systemic barriers that impede achievement of those goals
- provide a framework of accountability for reaching those goals, and
- generally help the affected individual, family or executive team to fulfill their inherent potential.