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I really enjoyed Stephanie’s honesty and candor about her experiences. I thought it was especially moving that she was able to talk about her experiences in the context of a higher education setting. I believe strongly in the peer recovery support approach. I have worked with peer supports and have found their ability to connect without bias, judgement, and with lived experience invaluable. The medical model has it’s place and value however there is a sense of disconnect and distance for many as they try to navigate the medical model and the feeling that the medical providers may not fully understand the experiences of those they support. Stephanie talks about the importance of experiential knowledge through lived experience and normalizing the experiences. I thought it key as well that she mentions the value of being a helper and the connectedness and support being a helper can provide. It was heartwarming to hear her experience that she felt she was treated with dignity and asked what she needed rather than calling 911 when reaching out to peer supports.
I have referred individuals to peer support both in mental health and substance use matters. I have watched individuals become peer supports and moved from a provider for the individual to a partner in providing support and services for others. It has been an honor and needless to say I learn from peer supports with every interaction!
I am so grateful for the material offered in this course! I will certainly be thinking about many of the tools we have learned and will bring some of those experiences to my work including; helping individuals identify their own strengths, developing recovery plans and not just treatment plans, and talking about the value and support of peer support services.
1) This is a great tool! I love the way it takes a motivational approach to identify the level of commitment! It was really easy to use, and it helped me identify where the barriers are and some strengths from the previous homework that I might use to conquer those barriers! It was succinct and the action steps were motivating.
2) I discovered that my strengths as I identified them previously can help me overcome barriers and challenges in a number of my goals. I think they also helped me develop my action steps in ways that I could use what I already have onboard for skills and this made the goal feel more attainable.
3) I think this format is wonderful and going forward, it will be a great reminder to walk through the process with clients helping them to utilize their strengths they already have to identify action steps, build on goals, and find ways to address barriers by using the strengths they already have within them.
1) I appreciate this activity as I often engage in identifying strengths both in my own life and in my work with others. I think we often are so encumbered by the challenges we face, that we forget we already possess a number of valuable strengths that have served us well in the past. Thinking about how an identified strength can help achieve a wellness goal is something I focus on in my work and personal life. I love to have discussions around identified strengths and then help map out what part of holistic recovery does that identified strength support.
2) As for my own “hidden” strengths, I found that I have a genuine joy and excitement about life and while I know this intrinsically I often forget that this is a strength that I use daily to help maintain a sense of hope and awe in the power of change.
3) Identifying strengths helps increase confidence in one’s ability to meet their goals within themselves and helps people realize we are the expert on ourselves and we can help shape and change our outcomes.I really enjoyed the mindful writing! It created a sense of peace and calm as well as a great reminder of my own resources, strengths, and abilities that I have relied on to get through challenges and adversity.
I think through the use of the questions I was able to focus less on the challenge and more on how I navigated my journey through the challenge and increased my ability to focus on the successes and problem solving skills I utilized. It felt much more like a solution focused approach and was very empowering to be able to uncover my own skills that I may have been dismissive of in the face of challenges. I read my writing aloud to myself, and did some highlighting of areas I may not have been as able to hone in on had I not done this exercise.
I am excited to try these Narrative questions and mindful writing in my work with others to help them see their own strengths, and help them see where and when they were their own experts in resilience, where and when they traveled through the darkness we sometimes feel when life is challenging towards their own brightness and light.
Hello everyone,
My name is Kate and I currently hold my LMSW-CC and am attending a graduate certificate program in substance abuse treatment services. I am looking forward to participating in this class and learning more about ROSC so I can better support the individuals I provide services to as well as providing support to staff.
