supporting the recovering lifestyle agency based support for recovering addicts and alcoholics...

Supporting the Recovering Lifestyle

Agency Based Support for Recovering Addicts and

Alcoholics

Jewish Family Service of Metro DetroitJewish Vocational Service Los Angeles

Jewish Family ServiceBackground

Incorporated in 1928Broad range of services including

clinical services, community support services, immigration services, transportation

State of Michigan substance abuse license granted in 1998

JVS Los Angeles Background

Founded in 1930; currently serves over 24,000 annually

Broad range of services Career Employment Training

Mission: Assist people by helping them help themselves achieve self sufficiency

“Building better lives. One job at a time.”

Recovery Management

William White: “Nesting recovery in the community”

We understand what it takes to stop using

We must understand what it takes to maintain recovery

What is community? Thinking is broader terms: more than 12 Step

meetings What are the purposes of community?

Reducing isolation Reducing shame Increasing supports Increasing competence Increasing worth

Being creative in how we imagine community connections

New people, places and things

Linking Recovery with Other Significant Life

FactorsLinking with the cultural environmentLinking with familiar geographyLinking with socializationLinking with acceptance, openness and

the truthLinking with activities that offer a sense of

purpose

Recovery is More than a Clinical Phenomenon

Wraparound recovery includes:Therapy: trauma reduction, insight

development, motivational processes12 Steps or other recovery programsCommunity: reducing the isolation and

returning to connectionConnection to other supportive assists

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE ADDICTION

RECOVERY TREATMENT

EVOLUTION OF SERVICES FROM PROGRAM TO INDIVIDUAL FROM SEPARATION TO INTEGRATION FROM CLINICIAN-CENTERED STABILIATION OF

ACUTE SYMPTOMS TO CLIENT-DIRECTED MANAGEMENT OF LONG TERM RECOVERY

FROM FOCUS ON DISEASE PROCESS TO FOCUS ON RECOVERY PROCESS

FROM EXCLUSION OF CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS TO WELCOMING THE WHOLE INDIVIDUAL

TREATMENT PHILOSOPHY

WelcomingEmpathic and hopefulClient centeredInterdisciplinary teamLiaison with culturally sensitive

community supports

INDIVIDUALIZING TREATMENT COMPONENTS

Comprehensively assessing client to identify strengths

Engaging client in treatment/transition planning Optimizing client/therapist match Varying options for modality and frequency Using motivational enhancements to move client

through stages of change

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

Rapid assessmentOptimized length of staySuccessful treatment outcomeIncreasing “mission –driven”

culturally relevant services and supports

DEVELOPING CULTURAL RELEVANCE

Replacing community denial with acceptance

Increasing community awarenessIdentifying the prescription drug trapAddressing ritualized use of alcoholRecognizing historical roots of enabling

IMPROVED TREATMENT OUTCOMES

CONTINUAL EVALUATION/ASSESSMENTENHANCED QUALITY OF LIFE AND

PERSONAL GROWTHEVOLVING CLIENT NEEDS ARE MET AS

RECOVERY PROGRESSES.

New Boundaries for Strengthened Recovery

Reducing hierarchies: walking the road together

Open relationships between therapist and community supports

Open relationship between therapist and client in community settings

A Successful AgencyCollaborationin Los Angeles

Jewish Vocational ServiceAnd

Beit T’Shuvah

Beit T’ShuvahMission: to treat and prevent addictive

and behavioral disorders through the combination of Jewish spirituality, the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and psychotherapy.

Driven by the philosophy that employment—representing renewed integration with the community and critical to achieving self-sufficiency—is a necessary element of the recovery process

JVS collaboration since 1998

The Missing Piece

Support in redefining one’s sense of self in the context of work is absent from most recovery approaches and programs

Career planning and employment equals:Restored self-esteemRenewed integration with the communityCritical to the achievement of self-sufficiency

Clients Served by JVS

Alcohol and substance abuse residents

Sober living residentsIndependent living residentsAlumni

Approximately 400 served annually

Client demographics

Ages range from 18 to 70

Educational background

Professional background

Client Needs

Career changeReturn to previous careerBalancing sobriety and employmentEmployment retentionEx-felon re-entryEducational guidanceSecuring academic financial aid

Program offerings

Workshops and individual counselingEntering or re-entering the world of workCareer assessment and planningJob search preparationThe transition to employment

Job development supportJob retention support

Program Success Factors

On-site career center and staffingCollaboration and coordination between

Beit T’Shuvah and JVS; each organization doing what it does best

Expectations around utilization of JVS services and securing employment

Inclusion of alumni in the support processThe “Get Well” job

Career Counselor Success Factors

Familiarity with population’s needsUse and interpretation of assessment

toolsExpertise in career counseling and

employment supportCommunication and interpersonal

skills“Street cred”

A Case Study

Discussion

What expertise does your agency hold that could benefit the clients of another agency?

How might you approach the other agency to explore opportunities for collaboration and the creation of synergy?

Where and in what ways might you develop funding to support such a partnership?

Benefits of Community Collaboration

De-stigmatizing of experiencePartnering with intimate social network

and indigenous institutionsExtending the locus of service delivery

from the clinical environment to the client’s natural environment

Creating physical, psychological, vocational, and social space within which recovery can flourish

Allowing for re-engagement and early re-intervention when needed

Thank you!

Emilie Dauch

edauch@jfsdetroit.org

248-592-2663

Jay Soloway

jsoloway@jvsla.org

323-761-8888, ext. 8878

Ellen Yashinsky-Chute

eyashinsky@jfsdetroit.org

248-592-2666