"One of the recovery movement's hallmarks is empowering people to self-direct their services. This allows people to make their own choices, develop self-esteem and self-confidence, and to become self-determining. This involves people's accountability to live up to their potential. This same level of accountability needs to be present in the structure [of the treatment program]." -- Lori Ashcraft Ph.D. and William A. Anthony Ph.D., "Factoring in Structure -- Recovery needs a solid foundation to take root," in Behavioral Healthcare, Aug. 2006, p. 17.
Client self-direction, making choices, developing self-esteem, self-confidence, and becoming self-determining ... exactly what the Recovery by Choice workbook is built around. And yes, for clients to be able to take this road, the structure of the treatment program must permit it and support it. You won't get this kind of recovery in a treatment program structured around the postulate that clients are too (choose all that apply:) stupid, crazy, dishonest, manipulative, in denial, etc. to ever make intelligent, pro-recovery choices.
2 comments:
I am a psychiatrist who, unfortunately, has been caught in the legal system, a system that is biased and ignorant and is abusing me and my children. I am required to attend AA to get my medical license reactivated and to get my son back, even though we all know it is illegal to mandate AA. As a mental health professional I am appalled by the willful ignorance of my own profession in choosing to deny the reality that AA generally does not work. It is my own profession that is requiring AA, despite the fact that it does not work for me. It will take years and many voices before we make inroads into the system and get real treatment for people, with actual options. People with addiction histories are still treated with no respect at all, even within the treatment community. Until that changes, there will be no true choice.
Elizabeth Bartlett MD
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