Gaining Assistance Throughout Early Sobriety
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A recovery coach or a sober coach can be a key component offered by a treatment center to enhance your commitment to a sober lifestyle. Recovery coaches, whether professional or peer, provide you with more support than many other treatment options. While they should not be substituted for a qualified rehab program, they can enhance the overall results.
What is a recovery coach and what role do they play in the recovery of substance abuse or substance use disorder? And how can you or your loved one find a facility that offers recovery coaching, to ensure you have continuous accountability in early recovery?
Keep reading to learn more about what this addition to your treatment team could mean and how Rehabs Of Armerica can assist you in finding an accredited treatment center that offers recovery coaching alongside their programs!
What Does a Recovery Coach Do?
A recovery coach is an invaluable asset to your recovery process and plan when recovering from substance use disorder. They perform services that complement those you receive in a rehab setting. Some of the services that you may find offered through a reliable recovery coach include:
- Daily check-ins to determine progress or areas where you struggle
- Connection to 12-step meetings or alternatives for substance use nearby
- Help with family members and offering information to help them
- Connections to online support
Unlike a therapist or counselor that treats your mental health issues and allows you space to process your substance use, recovery coaches do the hard work of keeping you connected to your sobriety. Many recovery coaches will even reach out to touch base with you daily, unlike a therapist whom you may only see once or twice each week.
Keep in mind that a recovery coach is not a substitute for mental health services. Both are important aspects of treatment recovery.
The Difference Between Sponsors and Recovery Coaching
It is important to note that many of the functions of a recovery coach sound very similar to the role of a sponsor through 12-step programs. Despite the similarities in the peer support offered by both roles, there are some key distinctions that set recovery coaching apart.
First, a recovery coach goes through extensive training to be able to offer support services in the way that you most need them. While this is covered later in this article, most have at least 30 hours of training and continuing education to maintain their role as recovery coaches. A sponsor is unlikely to have had any training at all.
What are the Costs of Sponsorship vs Coaching?
A sponsor also only offers feedback and support within the context of the 12-step program. A recovery coach offers far more support, drawing on other experiences and programs to provide you with the support services you need. They also connect you with community resources.
Of course, one of the biggest differences is that you will pay for recovery coaching. This also means that your recovery coach is going to be more accessible to you than a sponsor who does this work solely because they enjoy helping others and furthering their own recovery.
The Role of Recovery Coaches in Sustained Recovery
Some studies are starting to surface that demonstrate the efficacy of a recovery coach for those who are in recovery. Recovery coaches work with you and are paid by you, meaning that they tend to make themselves more available than free options like sponsors through 12-step programs.
They also provide a more well-rounded approach to treatment, offering up more than just the twelve steps of many recovery models. Many clients who enlist the help of a recovery coach find that they have access to psychological, social, emotional, spiritual, and even financial counseling.
Helping Build Your Recovery Capital
Studies have shown that recovery coaches are great additions to a robust treatment program. A recovery coach increases family reunification rates.
Other studies have shown that it improves relationships with all providers, increases retention in the treatment program, improves satisfaction, and reduces the risk of relapse.
Another study showed that recovery coaching provided people with a sense of community, which can be helpful at every stage of recovery and sobriety. Feeling a connection with others can help you to feel supported. Some recovery coaches provide this work via technology like phone calls or video calls, making it even more accessible to those who may not live close to their preferred recovery coach.
All of these are essential to the continued success of those who struggle with a substance use disorder and need help maintaining their newly sober lifestyle.
Training for Recovery Coaches to Ensure Quality Work
The good news is that not everyone can advertise themselves as recovery coach or fulfill recovery support roles. You will need to search for someone who is certified and vetted to add to your team of professionals. To this end, you can contact Rehabs Of Armerica to find programs that provide vetted, effective recovery coaching services.
However, you may want to double-check that recovery coaches are well-trained before you enlist their help. Of course, when you call Rehabs Of Armerica, this is done as a part of our addiction services.
Many recovery coaches attend a variety of training before they start offering services to those in need. For the most part, you want someone who has completed a 30-hour training through programs like the Recovery Coach Academy, a program based in the UK that has many similar counterparts in the United States.
What is the Recovery Coach Academy?
The Recovery Coach Academy is an intensive 5-day training that provides coaches with all of the tools necessary to work in the field of substance use disorders in the real world. They will learn the best support methods and practice in real time with expert feedback.
By making the commitment to the program, you are ensuring that the coach you work with is serious about their contribution to your recovery. This is not a path that just anyone can do, and it requires real training and experience. Always make sure that your recovery coach has been fully vetted, like those offered through the treatment centers found via Rehabs Of Armerica.
Peer Recovery Coach Services for Real-World Experience
Not all recovery coaches are certified or licensed mental health professionals. Some recovery support services are delivered by those who have been in your shoes. A peer recovery coach allows you to receive feedback on your sobriety journey from someone who truly understands what it is like to go through it.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, peer recovery coaches offer support. However, these coaches also receive training and supervision for the help that they offer.
The types of support that they offer vary depending on what the client may need. As you may expect, they offer empathy and emotional support for what you are going through. They also assist with information on substance use disorders and referrals to community resources.
For those struggling to find community, they can also provide details about meetings and activities that might be helpful in your recovery.
Benefits of Peer Recovery Coaches
SAMHSA is clear in the research that peer recovery coach services offer a lot of benefits to participants. While they are not a substitute for licensed mental health providers, they do allow for improved relationships with treatment providers.
Other benefits include:
- Increased treatment retention
- Decreased emergency services and criminal justice involvement
- Lower relapse rates and less risk of re-hospitalization
- More connection to social supports
- Housing stability
- Satisfaction with the treatment experience
Coaches as a Pillar for Recovery Support Services
If you are looking for a comprehensive recovery-oriented system, a peer recovery coach is a great asset to your treatment team. While they are no substitute for a mental health provider well-versed in substance use, they can really round out what is offered at treatment centers.
Finding a program that offers peer recovery coaches is easy when you search for placement among Find Addiction Rehab’s accredited facility partners. They can help you to find coaches who have been vetted to yield the best results for your overall treatment.
Get Treatment Centers that Offer a Recovery Coach Now!
Recovery coaching is just one component of a robust treatment plan that enables you to move forward from your substance use. You need to ensure that the recovery coach you use has the training and experience to be a helpful member of your team. Still, the first step is often to find placement at a rehab that caters to your needs and jumpstarts your recovery.
Rehabs Of Armerica can help you narrow down the field with our list of accredited facility partners. From here, our centers will provide vetted and effective recovery coaching services during your rehab treatment to ensure the best possible results for your long-term recovery.
When you are ready not just for a recovery coach but for a new sober lifestyle away from substance use, reach out to Rehabs Of Armerica to take the first steps.
Calls are kept strictly confidential, so please call with confidence to get options now!
Anna M. joined Find Addiction Rehabs with extensive experience in the field of addiction treatment. As a former Nurse Practitioner in Miami, she found her passion for addiction treatment when a family member was lost to his disease. With each article and resource, she hopes to save other families from experiencing the anguish of a loved one’s passing due to drinking or drugs.
