There has been mention of recovery coaches or sobriety coaches in the press recently, particularly for people of means and affluence.
I think the idea of having a recovery coach has a certain appeal, a nice ring to it. What exactly do they do? What don’t they do? Oddly enough, I found it easier to locate information on what they don’t do. This information (disclaimer?) was taken from one of the more credible sites I found:
1. We cannot diagnose any addiction.
2. We don’t treat addiction per se.
3. We can help someone become ready and willing to seek treatment.
4. We can help someone explore their options for recovery or treatment.
5. We know we aren’t chemical dependency counselors. We know we aren’t nurses, doctors, counselors, therapists, or psychiatrists.
6. We are coaches and what we do is coach. We help people explore their wants, needs, and choices. We help them get clarity and move into action.
7. We don’t dictate what recovery will look like for our clients.
8. We don’t tell them what to do or how to do it.
To be honest, the idea of recovery coaches scares me. Let’s see, if I needed help would I really want a person who is not qualified to diagnose and treat me? There are some real questions and considerations when considering sobriety coaches:
1. Coaches are not regulated, certified and do not have to meet any educational requirements.
2. Anyone, qualified or not can call themselves a recovery coach.
3. There is no standardized code of ethics and standards.
If that sounds harsh, (I am expressing a point of view), but hear me out…
I am a state certified addictions therapist with a master’s level education. To reach that level of qualification requires years of specialized addiction education and many 100’s of hours of practical experience in dealing with patients. I am bound by a professional code of behavior and ethics.
With the very real threat of relapse looming large for anyone in recovery, I strongly suggest getting qualified help. I emphasize qualified help. To be fair, I have come across some recovery coaches who are educationally qualified and are state certified counselors also.
There are also many unqualified people in the field, and working with them could not only be a mistake, it could be dangerous.
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THANK YOU!! Great post, everyone should have a Recovery Coach.. sobriety is the key
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