Page 50 - Healthcare News Nov/Dec 2021

ADDICTION CONT’D
Mental Health.
Let’s Face It.
At MHA, we help you live your best life. We offer access to therapies for emotional health and wellness; services for substance abuse recovery, developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries; housing and residential programming services and more. Backed by our support and with access to our resources, you can live life to your full potential, in your community, every day.
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Dallas Clark says lived experi- ence and empathy are key to what makes recovery coaches so effective.
Speaking from Experience
MHA’s Recovery Coaching Program Provides Hope for Those Battling Addiction BDy ELIZABETH SEARS
allas Clark is in the business of spreading empathy and sharing hope. He is a recovery coach in the Recovery Coaching program at MHA’s
BestLife Emotional Health and Wellness Center in Springfield. Inspired by the positive influence his own recovery coach had on him, Clark helps individuals who are facing the challenges of addiction to meet their goals and connect back into the commu- nity.
A recovery coach is someone who has “ gone through the recovery process them-
selves and has completed the certifications required to become a coach. They act as a bridge to recovery, a ‘concierge’ of sorts, helping clients take control and regain power in their lives by providing them with wellness plans, encouragement, and other forms of assistance.
This model of treatment works because
of the trust that is built between coaches
and clients. Due to walking a similar path,
recovery coaches are able to understand
the experiences and emotions of their cli-
ents in a way others without such life experience cannot. They know what it is like to have an addiction and can connect on a personal level with someone looking to begin their own recovery.
“One thing that’s important about being a recovery coach is that we have lived experi- ence. When we talk about empathy, we’ve been in those shoes,” Clark said. “I know it’s very important that you be supported by somebody that really does understand what you’re saying.”
Tommy Smyth, another recovery coach in the program, echoed this sentiment.
The peer-to-peer counseling that recovery coaches provide is a very vital part of the process.”
“The peer-to-peer counseling that Please see Coaching, page 52
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