Miklat Recovery Society provides a supportive residential recovery
program for men with substance misusing and process addictions. The
program we offer is multi staged and multifaceted. It is progressive in
nature, and the primary phase is generally 3 months in duration.
Each client’s journey is uniquely theirs, often difficult, filled
with unexpected issues, and uncomfortable emotions. Therefore our timelines are
flexible and our stages are open ended, although it is expected that most pass
through the primary phase after 3 months, many others will take more or less
time. We offer the first two phases of the three that are common in the
field.
The first phase is an introduction to the recovery process, and the
goals are to teach new knowledge, universality, and hope. This includes
stabilization of emotions, challenging core values, early exposure to 12 step
meetings and introduction to spiritual principles, SMART Recovery meetings,
peer-based therapeutic groups, relapse prevention, anger management, and
various subjects introduced by qualified counsellors.
In this stage it is vital for the staff and counselors to instill hope
and begin to gain clients trust, as well as encourage group cohesiveness and
universality of the disease of addiction among the clients. It is through
trust and acceptance that clients will begin to drop their guard and become
vulnerable, sharing hidden trauma that is often the root of addiction.
Clients learn new sets of interpersonal social skills through daily peer interactions,
as well as gain self esteem through helping other clients. They start to
identify, label, develop, and express emotions in a healthy manner.
From the onset clients are given writing assignments from the client
handbook and once completed, they’re given the Narcotics Anonymous Step Guide
as well as a SMART recovery book. In the NA guide they will be assigned a
step at a time to write and then read to a counselor or a 12 step member in the
community. We expect clients to complete step-work in a timely fashion,
and although no deadlines are set, we encourage progression by restricting them
until steps are completed. This is detailed in the restriction and
privileges section of our client handbook.
During the first month clients will begin to build and maintain a daily
routine, with attention to personal hygiene, chores, prayers, short readings,
group therapy, moderate exercise, preparing and eating balanced healthy meals
three times per day, education on the nature of addiction, study of the 12 step
textbooks, and an exploration of their life.
Clients are encouraged and rewarded for their hard work by moving
through a set of restriction levels. Each restriction level has different
rules to follow and when a client passes to the next level they gain more privileges
while restrictions are lifted. This gives clients a sense of achievement
and boosts self esteem, as well as provides momentum for them to keep moving
forward towards a common goal. Through this system of reward and
restrictions, clients gain self confidence and self control, and become aware
of their ability to positively influence their peers, promoting a senior and
junior client relationship.
During the second month, when client’s health has stabilized both
mentally and physically, clients are challenged to explore their life through
timeline exercises. They take an in depth look at their upbringing,
important life events, traumatic events, behavior changes, emotional changes,
and where they lost control along with what happened to bring them to
recovery. These assignments have an effect of bringing the group together
on an intimate level and promote universality and cohesion, as well as to give
a greater understanding of how substance abuse has negatively affected their
lives.
Group therapy allows clients to let go of fears surrounding sharing of
personal experiences. Clients will begin to use the group as a way of
exploring, identifying, naming, tolerating, and communicating feelings.
Work on grief and trauma with the counselors will also begin toward the end of
the second month, and will become more in depth during the third.
During the third month, clients will be challenged to confront their
trauma, explore it in detail with our qualified counselors, and let go of the
pain surrounding it. It is during the third month that the most painful
experiences will be explored and analyzed by the clients and counselors, both
in the 12 step guide during step 4 and 5, and also in group therapy.
During this period, clients are given more freedom but with more freedom
come more responsibilities. It is in this period that staff will put more
responsibility on senior clients to spend time and watch over junior
clients. Clients will be encouraged to do volunteer work in the
community. We will also provide clients with Rec Center passes to enjoy
the nearby sports facility, and we will organize group outings for third month
clients to enjoy.
Staff along with counselors work together to evaluate each client
individually based on their academic achievements working through the letter
assignments, step-work, daily journaling, and handouts. They are also evaluated
on social interactions, general behavior, daily routine, attendance, and
participation in programming.
When a client has reached a certain predetermined threshold, it is
decided that said client will graduate, and a ceremony is held to honor and
celebrate. This celebration of program completion gives a key boost to the client’s
self esteem and offers a dose of hope for newer clients who look forward to their
own completion ceremony. The client is encouraged to speak to the group
about their experience, challenges, achievements, and future goals. They
are asked to invite family and friends if feasible, and Miklat presents clients
with a medallion, a certificate of completion, and a cake.
After graduation, clients have the option of entering stage two at
Miklat if desired. It is recommended that all clients do both stages. It
is their choice, but we will try to give them compelling argument to
stay. Research has shown that the frontal lobe of a stimulant user for
example, shows deficits up to six months following last use. Clients in
early recovery tend to recall the comfort of the substance misuse and yet
forget just how bad their lives had become.
See an example of our weekly schedule.