When recovering from substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health disorders, many individuals struggle to achieve safety within themselves, in their relationships with others, and in the world around them. Safety and support are vital to the longevity of recovery and healing, which is why treatment centers need to create safe and supportive environments. When individuals feel safe in their environment and create a safe space within themselves, this helps them to create a more satisfying life. Safety within the self is crucial for recovery and healing, and the seeking safety program at Roots Recovery helps clients attain it.
What Is the Seeking Safety Program at Roots Recovery?
The seeking safety program at Roots Recovery uses an evidence-based counseling model to address trauma and substance abuse. This model does not require clients to discuss the trauma narrative in deep detail. Unearthing disturbing traumatic memories is not necessary for the seeking safety healing process. Seeking safety offers 25 topics to clients that help enhance a sense of internal and external safety.
The seeking safety program adheres to the following principles:
- Helping clients attain safety within themselves (thoughts, behaviors, and emotions) and in their relationships with others
- Using an integrative treatment model to address both trauma and substance abuse simultaneously.
- Focusing on ideals to counteract the loss of ideals from trauma and substance abuse
- Incorporating cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, and case management aspects of care
- Paying attention to clinician processes, such as emotional responses and self-care
Topics Covered in the Program
Some of the 25 topics that Roots Recovery emphasizes and covers in the seeking safety program include:
- Attaining safety from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse
- Understanding how substances can have control over one’s self
- Encouraging clients to acknowledge when they need help and to reach out for support
- Setting boundaries while also finding a support system in clients’ families, friends, and other loves ones
- Coping with triggers
- Building healthy relationships and understanding how PTSD and substance abuse can lead to unhealthy relationships
- Self-nurturing and self-care
- Healing from anger and understanding how anger can be used constructively
When clients have completed all of the topics of seeking safety, they discuss their feelings about the program and finalize their aftercare plans. After clients complete their programs, therapy, or treatment, the Roots Recovery team continues to maintain contact with them to add to their support systems. Though they are not actively in a client plan, past clients are continuously supported in their healing and recovery journeys.
A Personalized Recovery Plan
Creating a safe environment for clients is always emphasized at Roots Recovery, whether in the seeking safety program or not. Each client receives a personalized plan for recovery and/or healing, providing them with a team of professionals that aim to create a supportive and encouraging environment. This personalized plan for recovery and healing is crucial to the client’s success as their care and treatment specifically tend to their needs as a whole.
The team helps each client on their individual, personal journey of healing and recovery and gives them a space to safely address and heal from trauma. Staff members help clients develop the strength and courage to manifest a happier, healthier life. Even after completing the seeking safety program, clients’ teams remain in contact with those in recovery to ensure clients are surrounded by positivity and support. Roots Recovery recognizes the importance of safety and support while one heals and/or recovers.
Who Might Benefit From the Seeking Safety Program?
While seeking safety may be beneficial to anyone struggling with trauma or trauma-related disorders and SUDs, many women find seeking safety to be a beneficial therapeutic program. It has also been noted that people who have been incarcerated have benefited from this program as well. However, seeking safety is generally beneficial to those with trauma-related disorders such as PTSD and SUDs.
For those coping with PTSD or SUDs, healing from trauma is vital. Many clients struggling with a SUD have experienced trauma in some way, whether that be during the recovery journey or prior.
Benefits of the Program
When someone participates in seeking safety, many effects of SUDs, including damage to social relationships, financial and legal issues, and employment issues, can improve. When developing a sense of safety in oneself and the surrounding environment, drastic effects can occur. Those with PTSD can also drastically improve their ability to hold down a job, cope with social situations, and maintain external relationships through an increased sense of safety. Generally speaking, seeking safety has helped improve people’s lives and decreased their symptoms of stress and PTSD.
Fostering an internal sense of safety is a prerequisite for a happy and healthy life. Clients at Roots do this by developing an understanding of their disorder and gaining healthy coping mechanisms through the seeking safety program. They are then able to create a more satisfying life.
Here at Roots Recovery, clients struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or substance use disorders (SUDs) may benefit from the seeking safety program. Seeking safety uses 25 topics for clients to interact with, improving their cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal lives. This program revolves around the client and is personalized for them in order to achieve the best results. The ultimate goal of seeking safety is for those struggling with PTSD and/or SUDs to attain safety within themselves, in their relationships with others, and in the world around them. After the program concludes, the team continues to offer support and resources to participants. To learn more about the seeking safety program at Roots Recovery, please call us at (562) 473-0827.
