The Beginning of Counselors in Recovery
The inspiration for Counselors in Recovery (CIR) came about one evening while Betty was participating in a Dopey Zoom group. During the meeting, she heard a counselor talk about having relapsed, and the scrutiny he was facing from the facility where he worked.
Betty fell in love with Dopey Nation, and the unconventional community that follows the “Dopey” podcast, described as a forum about which is about “drugs, addiction and dumb shit.” This group is independent of the podcast, made up of people who are both in recovery and not, who come together to talk, listen, and support one another.
What impressed Betty was that this support was happening outside of a traditional recovery environment. She watched a community rally around people who were struggling, including those who were themselves professionals working in recovery.
And that raised a bigger question: Why is there so much secrecy surrounding counselors in recovery?
Some of the most respected treatment and recovery programs have been founded by people in recovery themselves. If someone finds recovery, then chooses to dedicate their professional life to helping others find theirs, shouldn’t they feel supported by the facility where they work?
Betty had already begun her Master’s in Co-Occurring Disorders at Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School, when she approached Dr. Matthew Glowiak about conducting a study to explore these questions. With his help, and Hazelden’s guidance, the study commenced. It asked substance use counselors, peer counselors, and recovery coaches from across the country about how supported they feel in the environments where they work, what policies and practices affect that support, and what could be done to improve it.
The study is ongoing, and we are continuing to learn from counselors about their experiences, and, as importantly, about where the support exists, where the guardrails are, and where there may be gaps. If you are a counselor in recovery and are interested in participating, please contact us.
At the same time the study began, Betty began building the foundation for Counselors in Recovery.
And here we are.
The study continues. The conversation continues. And now we are building a community around it. Let’s see what happens.