CRC’s Body Mind & Soul Program extends over a period of one year, totalling approximately 40 weeks and dates coincide with the WA school terms. In each of our 3 support Groups: Substance Abusers , Family & Friends and Growth Group, themes are presented that cover areas such as building trust, forgiveness, personal responsibility and spirituality to name some. We also offer individual counselling. Further details about the time and place of groups can be found on our calendar page and if you are interested in participating in one of our programs please call our reception on +61 8 9319 8344.
Please feel free to explore our themes in detail below. Jesus then said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you continue in the way that I have taught you, then you will be set free.”
People often say: “I won’t get hooked, I can handle it, and I’ll be ok….” Likewise, we hear parents say: “What did we do wrong and how could this have happen?” In order to assist you to understand the dynamics associated with addiction, this presentation provides a ‘model’ with different stages of addiction. It is a synthesis of the process of entering and exiting the substance abuse cycle.
A word on cannabis
People often say that soft drugs like cannabis are okay. This is supported with the advent of State Governments in Australia making concerted efforts to de-criminalize cannabis. The term ‘soft drug’ is misleading and only supports people’s experimentation of the drug. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for cannabis users to incur mental health issues such as depression, psychosis and the onset of schizophrenia. Many psychiatrists now believe that cannabis is directly linked to mental illness, and that a genetic predisposition is not a necessary underlying cause for drug induced mental illness.
Furthermore, cannabis is not the soft drug that it may have been in the 1960’s and 70’s. The Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content in cannabis, which is the chemical responsible for the stoned effect, is far stronger today than in previous decades. Since the year 2000, levels of THC in cannabis has been reported as five times higher than in the 1960’s and 70’s, with some authorities reporting levels as much as ten times higher. (See Western Australian Drug Summit, 2000)
1ST Stage: EXPERIMENTATION
A person’s first drink, drug, or flutter at the TAB or Casino, is often experienced with peer groups and family and friends. Likewise, people do not consume alcohol and drugs and lose their money at the TAB in order to feel bad, rather they experiment with high-risk behavior in order to feel better or different; it is similar to taking a headache tablet in order to relive your pain.
The vast majority of experimentation is positive and so the experience is reinforced. People in this stage say that drugs, alcohol and the buzz of the casino are harmless! Only occasionally is the first-time experience negative.
The experimentation stage involves approximately 90% of Australians before the age of eighteen, of whom approximately 20% will go on to the problematic stage of addiction, and 7% will go on to the chronic stage. These statistics are alarming considering the amount of human and social damage that can be caused. It is estimated that 70% of people in Australian jails are there due to addiction related crime.
Communication between a parent and child in this stage is difficult.
Therefore, education and prevention at an early stage is very important. Secure a meaningful rapport with your children and gain trustworthy information along with keeping abreast of community and school programs. Involvement with sport, art, hobbies and the like are a great way of preventing boredom and high-risk taking curiosity. 2nd Stage: SOCIAL
During the second stage, usage becomes more routine, such as on weekends at parties, pubs, clubs, raves, the races and the casino, where people socialize and ritualize addictive behavior.
The euphoria of the high continues during this second stage. Serious symptoms are rarely experienced, although we have all read in the newspaper of kids tragically dying who certainly would be seen as at the first or second stage.
At this second stage, variables around personal responsibility such as honesty and accountability, work and finances, relationships and health are not problematic. For instance many people manage their social life and maintain responsible drinking.
Unfortunately however, around 20% of Australians fail to make this transition successfully and slide into the problematic stage of substance abuse. (It is common for people to ‘mask’ their growing habit and at times they are very successful.) 3rd Stage: PROBLEMATIC
At this stage it is becoming clearer to people close to the substance abuser that there is an addiction problem. Usage is common place and the negative impact on their life is quite obvious. The individual is relinquishing their will-power and the growing addiction is starting to take control. Relationships with family, friends, and people at work, may become strained. Financial issues, health issues and possibly mental health issues such as episodes of psychosis begin to present themselves. Addiction is a growing problem and the psychological struggle begins with issues around confusion, morality, core values and principals…. Am I in control or is my habit?
The more frequently the substance is used, the more tolerance builds and so ‘more becomes the goal: more money, more drugs, more drink, and more gambling in order to feel satisfied. As tolerance reaches a climax, related health issues such as over-dose is a tragic reality, especially for users of morphine based drugs.
Family and friends will notice marked changes in their loved ones’ behavior and the underlying character and core values of the substance abuser change. Honesty and reliability and personal responsibility are all called into question. Communication at this stage is nearly always strained and difficult, and denial is common.
Family intervention is one way of dealing with a loved one during this stage. As always, the family is encouraged to engage with addiction experts before making an intervention, which is best kept intelligent, loving, and with clear boundaries.
4TH Stage: CHRONIC
Now, the individual is horribly enmeshed in addiction. The object of their desire is all-consuming and in many cases this leads to illegal activity in order to support their habit. Very few people in the chronic stage are able to hold down a job; even to manage on social security seems and impossible task and finances are always a major issue.
The fourth stage sees that the individual has ‘burnt many bridges’ and very few family and social connections are left intact. Therefore, support is negligible and the chronically addicted person is seriously compromised. Service providers like Cross Roads are the best port of call if and when the individual wants helps.
The emotional state of the chronically addicted can be fragile. Often, passions and emotions work against the person during this stage i.e. shame, guilt, fear, anxiety, anger and despair are all a part of the psychological make-up. Feelings such as these can either increase the addictive behaviour or act as a spring-board to finding help.
Issues around mental health such as drug induced psychosis, depression and schizophrenia are real. Physical health is also compromised with possible issues of hepatitis, vascular damage, cirrhosis of the liver, gum disease, HIV/ AIDS, and decline of well being and fitness.
The user is now deeply enmeshed with substance abuse and communication is often strained due to non-compliance with boundaries, money issues and so on. Again, family intervention is a good means of dealing with a loved one during this stage. Once again, the family is encouraged to engage with addiction experts before making an intervention which is best kept intelligent, loving, and with clear boundaries. THE WAY OUT 1. PRE-CONTEMPLATOR
At this stage the user is happy to be involved with the sub-culture of drugs, alcohol and or gambling, and rarely does the user experience the negative side to their behavior such as the financial cost and health dangers. If the user was to draw up a ledger with the pro’s and con’s of usage, then the credit would be full of positives and the debit would be empty.
The user’s attitude is often that ‘society, parents and the legal system have got it all wrong’ and the euphoria and excitement experienced affirms their choice to continue using. At this stage the ugly side of addiction has not reared its ugly head and the user believes they have control of the situation.
Therefore, communication on the subject is difficult for family and friends. Communication is best kept functional, caring and educational. However, an overview of the family system including areas of personal responsibility and boundaries could well assist the situation. The pre-contemplator is generally a person in the experimental and social stage of use. 2. CONTEMPLATOR
At this stage the user is reflecting on their substance abuse issues. They reflect on areas such as their decision making, their changing behaviour, their financial situation, family and relationships, and what the future holds. The user can see that their self control is loosing ground and the addiction is gaining the upper-hand.
The substance abuser is feeling the harsh impact of their erratic and unhealthy life-style and much of the euphoria of usage is disappearing. Serious reflection and consideration of where life is going is a consequence - dreams and goals in life?
3. ACTION
At this stage the user makes a decision to reach out for help. When this happens they will turn towards a confidant, someone they hope will listen to their story and will respond positively to their needs. The confidant is often a vital link between the substance abuser and their recovery and healing, the link between the substance abuser and a professional service provider.
At this stage there is a change of attitude and the substance abuser will appear authentic in seeking assistance and willing to engage with professional help. Along with a motivation for change, the person will seek for answers dealing with a ‘new beginning’ even though struggles will be common-place.
Cross Roads believes that a rational ‘Game Plan’ incorporated with a long-term growth program best serves the person wanting to heal. By getting in touch with what stimulates you and with what you truly wish to do with your life, you make a new beginning. Then, along with professional support you develop your talents and skills in order to arrive at where you wish to be.
4. RELAPSE PREVENTION
Relapse occurs for a multitude of reasons: lack of motivation, loneliness and boredom, anxiety issues, lack of self awareness, low self-esteem, rejection, and the list goes on…irrespective of the reason and without judging you, Cross Roads is there assist you to recover and heal.
The ‘Healing Model’ is a program lasting for a minimum of twelve months for both the Substance Abuser and the Family and Friends. The model has three areas of focus: Mind, Body and Soul. Weekly growth groups and one to one counseling are provided to explore all relevant issues associated with the substance abuse. Likewise, over this period forty themes give structure to the model’s psycho-educational program.
Cross Roads believes the central issue for addiction does not lie with the drink, the drug or with the gambling, but rather the person in need of life-skills, maturity and emotional intelligence. The healing model looks towards ‘life’ as the focus, more to the point, becoming the person you truly wish to be is the important issue and Cross Roads will support your efforts to develop and learn the skills to attain your life goals in a realistic manner. If and when relapse does occur it is viewed as an opportunity to deepen your self awareness in order to make another start.
‘Stand at the cross roads and look,
ask for the ancient path and walk in that direction, then you will find success and happiness for your soul’
[ top ]
There were many heroes in the 2nd world war. Men, women and children rose above the atrocities of concentration camps and survived intolerable conditions. Viktor Frankle is one example. He was able to find meaning to his life even though his family and belongings had been destroyed by the Nazis. Rather than allowing the negative impact of denial, anger, and bargaining and giving in to a seemingly hopeless situation, people like Viktor Frankle learnt to help themselves and to find a real purpose to life through acceptance.
Acceptance is not saying ‘I’m beaten’ or ‘I’ve thrown-in the towel.’ Acceptance is to acknowledge your circumstance (addiction – concentration camp) and to be serious about going forward… what life-style do you really want?
Addiction is the same as being locked-up in jail or in a concentration camp, while acceptance is the key to get out. Acceptance does kick-start the healing process necessary to discover your true potential and to get the creative juices flowing.
Accepting your addiction issues is the fastest road to recovery. You are able to gain ‘real’ support from your family and friends and able to maximise your benefits from Drug & Alcohol services like Cross Roads. Until you accept your addiction issues you, will be fighting it by yourself and that is too difficult.
‘One of the criminals crucified with Jesus said: if you are God, save us. But the other criminal rebuked him saying: why don’t you fear God, you are a criminal like me, we have done the crime, so we should do the time, but this man has done nothing wrong...’
[top ] CROSS ROADS – THEME 2.
The Ostrich (Deny, Dodge, Distort)
Sigmund Freud explained that your unconscious mind has ways of protecting you from pain. He named these psychological processes as ‘defense mechanisms’ which can protect you from emotional, psychological, and sometimes physical pain.
For example, if a child knows she will get into trouble by telling the truth about the missing cake, then it is preferable to lie (deny, dodge and to distort the truth). The child wants to avoid the pain of being found-out that she stole the cake. However, as the child matures she realizes it is best to tell the truth…
The mature response to emotional pain is to learn how to deal with it rather than to deny it. To deny, to dodge, and to distort your addiction issues is to live in a fantasy land with the child.
Feelings of shame, embarrassment, failure, rejection, fear, isolation and many others make it difficult to address your substance abuse issues, however, your recovery depends upon you being honest and finding the skills to work with pain and discomfort.
Life is like a university and will offer you many opportunities to learn and to grow. If you choose to accept these opportunities you will move forward with your life, and if not, the same experience will re-present itself many times, only packaged differently until you learn the lesson! If you choose not to learn your lessons you will go round in circles and slide backwards.
Another way of looking at it is like this: if there are six apples in the bowl, there are six, not four or five and not seven or eight. Likewise, if you have an addiction to drugs, alcohol or gambling then be real about it because you cannot fix something that is not there.
When the Ostrich sees trouble coming it puts its head in the ground – the Ostrich mentality cuts you off from your best support - family and friends, counselors, doctors, support groups. Don’t live with your head stuck in the sand. Rather, be gutsy and learn to process the pain and to ‘deal with the real’!
‘Do not live in denial, otherwise you accumulate for others, and others will live on luxuries and not yourself’
CROSS ROADS – THEME 3
The Train Journey (Seven Stages)
The train journey from Rome to Salzburg begins from Termini Station which is covered with graffiti. The train passes through the ancient city of Rome and then into the Italian countryside where there is vineyards, olive groves and medieval villages with their cobble-stone streets. The train weaves its way towards the snow capped mountains close to the Austrian border and onto Salzburg. It’s like driving through two thousand years of history: art, architecture and natural beauty.
This train journey is a metaphor for your life. It is too easy for you to remain at the graffiti covered train station (addiction) all your life and to watch the trains pull away without you going anywhere. In fact you are quite capable of experiencing all that life has to offer if you set your mind and begin to deal with your addiction issues (boarding the train). If you are prepared to be honest and to work hard at your new lifestyle the drugs and drink get left behind at the graffiti covered train station and you can enjoy the great journey which life offers. Now is always the best time to start dealing with your stuff. Whether your addiction issue is relatively new, or whether you have been enmeshed with addiction for years, it is time to start your journey of recovery.
The following seven stages are foundation stones for the rest of your life. They are powerful tools to build a new lifestyle and a strong and lasting sense of freedom. They are paramount in anyone’s life, irrespective of addiction issues. Unfortunately, too many people do not heal, and as a result, do not find any peace, happiness or success. Healing equates to the ownership of peace, success, and self esteem. Likewise, you can manage difficult issues and set-backs without relapse. Life will reward you when you give life a fair-dinkum go!
The Seven Stages
These seven stages are foundation stones for the rest of your life.
‘Stand at the cross roads and look, which is the ancient path, take it and find rest for your souls’ [ top ]
The Kelpie & the Croc (Creativity & Fear)
An intelligent business plan will assess the risk in order to minimize the damage but will also be creative to gain the edge over its competitors. This is a good analogy for life because we all have the potential to be both creative and fearful and both have their benefits. However, some people will allow fear to override their creativity and this is not good.
The personality profile of the Croc (Fear) lays hidden in the muddy waters and in the submerged branches of your unconscious mind waiting to capture and drown your creativity, your self-esteem and your desire to break free from addiction. For example, sabotaging your plans to go straight for fear of failure is giving way to the Croc. Each time you choose to do drugs, too much alcohol and gamble to excess you are training your own character to become Croc-dominant (fear based).
On the other hand, the Kelpie is creative and enjoys a challenge. The kelpie will learn new tricks in order to succeed and form being defeated by the Croc. The Kelpie is intelligent and is keen to achieve life’s goals. The Kelpie wants to be realistic, successful and courageous.
Try your best to be positive and to work through your issues rather than ‘staying stuck.’ Issues of injustice, jealousy, inferiority, anger, retribution, feeling unworthy, comparison and competition are all Croc driven and will keep you stuck in the submerged branches and muddy waters of your own mind.
Why should you stay stuck in addiction all your life? With the support of a proven rehabilitation and recovery program you too can be free from addiction and living the life you deserve. Be creative!
‘Those who burry their talents and do not use them, will have everything taken from them, even the talents they first had’. [ top ] The Game Plan (Strategy)
The primary focus of the AFL coach is to win a grand-final. Therefore, he analyzes the squad’s strengths and weaknesses: their ball skills and fitness levels, their dedication and commitment and other important key performance indicators. With this information he constructs a game plan along with other strategies in the hope of winning a premiership flag.
For you, winning the Grand Final would symbolize being clean and employed, not being short of money, the right partner, being seen as trustworthy and reliable, having good health and strong self-esteem…. Likewise, the Coach would symbolize your Counsellorand together you set out to establish your game plan. Therefore, you look at your strengths and weaknesses, talents and skills, choices and opportunities and so on…
Your personalized ‘game plan’ has a starting point and an end point. Begin with an honest appraisal of your current situation like …‘I’m broke and feeling lousy’. Then you need to state how you would prefer to be… ‘Happy and healthy’ and then you set about joining the dots…
Cross Roads strongly recommends that you to get in touch with your skills and talents, your strengths and weaknesses, your dreams and vision, in order to join the dots and to reach your end goal. It is not all about saying no! It is also saying yes to your natural talents and developing your skills.
You will need courage and discipline to reorganize your social life, what you eat and drink, an exercise regime, and regular attendance at groups and counseling sessions.
Remember, that your addiction falls away as you gain skills and move toward your personal goals. It’s not about the drug, the drink, or the gambling. It is about becoming what you want to be!
‘
Seek advice from every wise person and do not despise any useful counsel, bless the Lord God always: ask him that your paths and plans may prosper.’ [ top ] The Tool Box (Self Awareness)
A solitary car is broken down on an out-back track. The aboriginal man reaches into his tool box to find a wine cork and hair pin and substitutes these for the rotor button. The car moves off.
Self-awareness around your thoughts, feelings and behaviour is extremely helpful for overcoming addiction. Your reactions could be angry or defensive in some situations and happy and content in others. Why? Understanding what triggers you to feel a strong emotion or react in a particular way is empowering.
One psychological model states people operate in the following way: First – Think. Second – Feel. Third – Act / Behave. Self awareness becomes a tool box when you realize that you have the power to change the way that you think. By viewing something differently you also change the way you feel and behave. It is like looking at a building from either the front, back, south or north side; you always have the choice to see something from a different angel.
The process for gaining self awareness is best done with a Counsellor or Therapist and it will take time as you will need to reflect upon, and to explore your thoughts, feelings and actions. With your Therapist you will be able to work out a healthier way of seeing things especially with the areas causing you grief i.e. being held prisoner to your anger, low self esteem and so on.
Seeing things in a new and different light will bring about an emotional shift which is emotional healing. This can be challenging at first because it is all new. However, the benefits can be very rewarding with an over-all sense of freedom and self satisfaction. The experience can be like getting out of an ‘emotional jail’; realizing that you do not have to get angry or need a reward, for example. Likewise, self awareness offers you choices and empowers you to think differently on issues that in the past have led to addictive behaviour like: ‘rejection makes me feel lousy and lonely and so I will use…’
Self awareness brings about maturity and balance and will counter extreme behaviour. It will also keep you from feeling isolated and stuck. Like the Aboriginal man, when you know what makes the car tick you can fix it.
‘The child, Jesus, grew and became strong filled with wisdom.’
[ top ] The Pearl-Diver (Anxiety / Excitement)
The pearl-diver feels excitement as she makes her decent to the sea bed. She is excited with the beauty of the coral reef, the tropical fish and turtles. However, she also feels a degree of anxiety due to the strong winds and the big swell and the deteriorating visibility under water. Likewise, there is the real threat from sharks and other dangerous sea creatures. Even after years of diving experience, her environment is still threatening to her.
The pearl-diver is acutely aware that her anxiety and excitement is consuming the oxygen in her blood stream faster than normal which could cause her to panic and make a wrong judgment that could put her life at risk. She will need to remain calm and in control of her feelings in order to make an accurate assessment of the deteriorating conditions, while adhering to safe diving procedures. The bottom line is that the Pearl Diver will need to reassure herself of what to do and how to do it, or to get out of the water.
This analogy is real to life and works in relation to finding yourself in an unusual or strange environment. Anxiety can isolate and close you off from healthy social connections with family and friends and society in general. Likewise, over exuberance can spring-board you into high-risk behavior such as drinking to excess, overdosing on drugs, and gambling away your last dollar.
Like the pearl-diver, try to make decisions that are good for you based on the facts and not to get carried away by your feelings alone. Anxiety, excitement, and other strong feelings can easily over-ride rational thinking and common sense. Remember that it is easy to ‘awfulize’ rather than to ‘normalize.’ Assessing your situation with common sense will empower you to be in control of your feelings!
‘Do not fear, only believe and be clever’
[ top ] The Child
(Justifying, Lying, Blaming & Complaining)
When babies have a need they will cry and scream to gain their parent’s attention. However, the baby grows and learns to communicate at a different level: to speak, to be patient, to share and to think of others. Infancy to adulthood is fraught with crying, screaming, fighting, lying, blaming and complaining and justifying ones own position. Self-awareness and personal responsibility are necessary for the child to grow into a mature adult.
The mature adult has a handle on their own social skills, and so honesty, punctuality, holding down employment, budgeting, and the need for a sense of humor as well as the ability to take things seriously are all taken into consideration. In other words, the mature adult has a good degree of ‘personal responsibility’.
‘Addiction’ will stunt human development and so the substance abuser does not have the emotional and psychological skills of the average adult. The substance abuser deals with the sub-culture of addiction; it’s a fantasy, hollywood, justifying, lying, blaming and complaining, stealing, wheeling and dealing, getting high, and caught-up in all the !#^*!
The sub-culture of addiction is dark and nasty and therefore the person gets caught up in defensive behavior. The roller-coaster ride of addiction supports a child-dominant attitude rather than a well adjusted and mature attitude. A mature attitude allows us to face life as it is, rather than distort reality with addictive behavior. The inner child responds well if given the opportunity to grow and to be integrated. The inner child is a gift which adds vitality and happiness to life. The inner child will need to be embraced and loved and nurtured, rather than left to retreat further into the shadow side of your character. Trained people are waiting to help you to embrace and to integrate your pain and excitement (your inner child) and to assist you to grow away from your addictive lifestyle. It is completely possible to manage your personal stuff without addictive behavior… freedom!
‘When I was a child I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways’
[ top ] The Boxer (Courage)
The word courage comes from the root word meaning ‘heart’.
The boxer has a ‘big heart’ because he or she will need the courage to step through the ropes and face up to their opponent.
Likewise, courage is a major factor needed to overcome the temptation of using, and you will need courage to keep focused on your recovery. The temptation to go back to your old ways will always be just around the corner, especially at times of rejection, loneliness, and celebrations and so on. It is at times like this that you will need to dig deep in order to fight on.
We can talk about substitutions such as methadone, suboxone, keeping busy and learning new skills in order to stop using, however, you also need to be courageous. With or without the substitutions, and learning the new skills needed to overcome addiction, you will need to call upon your own character and will power. Do not underestimate this. You need to know your limits and the fact you are vulnerable but you will also need to grow in character and will power; substitution by itself will never work!
The boxer’s level of fitness grows each time he or she goes to a training session. Likewise, each time that you say ‘no’ to temptation your heart is strengthened with encouragement. You will always be tempted at some stage of life and in fact, temptation is necessary for your heart to grow more courageous.
Temptation is the work-out that makes you strong!
Encouragement is found through having a go, self - believing, creativity, and through asking God for encouragement in prayer! Remember, just as the boxer gets up off the canvas and fights on, you too will need to dig deep into your ‘heart reservoir’ and find the courage to keep saying no.
‘Be of brave heart and take courage, because I have conquered the world’
1st Overview (Stocktake)
It’s now time to take stock and to look back on the themes that you have already covered. When making your appraisal, try to be honest and accepting of your circumstances and you will get the most out of this appraisal and find peace of mind.
Over the past ten weeks you have covered themes such as: Model & Stages of Addiction, The Boxer, The Coach, The Pearl Diver, and The Child, along with others. These themes will mean different things to different people however they represent ‘archetypes’ (character & personality types) you can relate to, and so you can find similarities in your own make-up and improve your life skills to gain your goal of being free of addiction.
Use this as an opportunity for remembering what has been important for you over recent weeks. What has been the number one lesson for you? What is the one thing that stays with you? What has been the stand-out theme?
If a negative experience stands out for you such as ‘relapse’ also take the time to reflect. Goodness will come from every experience if you take the time to look at it.
This is an opportunity to redefine your goals and boundaries.
Remember that you are ‘building a bridge’ towards the person you wish to be. In order to arrive at a place you do not know (life without addiction) then you must go by a way that you do not know!
Discipline and effort are necessary to break free form addiction. Likewise, remember that an endless search for ‘perfection’ will lead to relapse and more dependant behaviour.
Strive for balance. If the bar is set too high you will crash and burn. Likewise, if you do not set a standard at all you will fall back into your old ways for lack of a challenge.
Therefore, set a standard for yourself that is realistic and attainable. The Lord says, stand by the Cross Roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. [ top ]
 TUESDAY Evenings 5.30—7.00pm
In addition to one-to-one counseling, CRC offers a 12 month group program for persons wanting to give up their drug, alcohol or gambling problem or addiction.
It is not an easy thing to admit that you have a drug, alcohol or gambling problem. Unfortunately it often takes something extreme to happen as a ‘wake up call’ such as a run in with the law, employment problems, family problems and relationship issues or health problems. Sometimes it can be a number of things at once.
Often the addicted person lives a life of denial that they have a problem, despite others around them, particularly family, telling them they have a problem.
Eventually reality hits home and he/she Substance Abuser or addict realizes that they cannot continue to live the life they have been which is often masked with lies and deceit and often reckless and dangerous behaviors.
Admitting these issues to a counselor can be hard enough, but the thought of talking about them in a group can be quite scary and threatening.
At CRC we find that once a person comes to a group they soon realize that their fears were nowhere near as bad as they thought. They find that others in the group who are, or have been, in almost identical positions to themselves. They take heart from this as well as hearing that others have managed to overcome many obstacles in dealing with their personal issues through the support of the group.
Additionally, group members are made to feel welcome and safe because of our accepting attitude and a rule that anything spoken about the group remains personal and private (confidential) and is not to be spoken about to anyone once the group has finished. The SA Group is usually made up of about 8 members plus 2 trained facilitators who have training and understanding of drug, alcohol, gambling and metal health issues. Program includes media/visual learning as well. Group members are also required to meet with a counselor at least every 10 weeks and sometimes more often. Before a person is accepted to come to a group it is a requirement that he/she have a meeting with a counselor who will explore with the person some of their personal issues and get some insight into the extent of a person’s addiction.
The group meets on a Tuesday evening from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. Again further details about the time and place of groups can be found on our calendar page and if you are interested in participating please call our reception on +61 8 9319 8344 to book an appointment.
The Family & Friends group seminars exists to provide psychological, emotional and spiritual, information & support to parents, other family members and close friends of the substance abuser, whether the user is currently seeking help or not.
So often, families are caught up in the dynamics surrounding addiction and they feel powerless to help or to know how to deal with demanding behaviors.
Family & friends often feel caught between not knowing how to help their loved one versus doing things for them and taking on their responsibilities; sometimes thinking their intervention is helping their loved one from getting into trouble, e.g. The law or debt collectors and actually the family or friend are behaving in a co-dependent manner
. These group seminars help friends & families to view their loved ones addiction and associated behaviors in a more objective way. We present and reflect on a topic each month such as Trust, Forgiveness and Boundaries, Spirituality, to name some.
Sharing ideas and experiences around these themes can be liberating and supportive for group members. For many, it is liberating to know that there are others in a similar situation to themselves. The interactive dynamic offers invaluable education at dealing with family issues.
Our Group Seminars are facilitated by professionally trained group facilitators with expertise in family systems, counselling and addictions. We recognize that many families/parents of the SA (substance abuser) feel shame and embarrassment and initially find it difficult to talk publicly about their loved one’s addiction.
The Family and Friends Group Seminars also provides an avenue for people to speak openly and honestly about their concerns and dilemmas, always in a respectful, supportive, confidential and non-judgmental way.
All CRC programs incorporate the philosophy of healing through Mind, Body & Soul and themes used at CRC reflect this. The ‘Soul’, the spiritual aspect of healing is something special which CRC offers; recognizing God’s healing power. Program includes media/visual learning as well.
The Group Seminar presentations run yearly during school terms. New members are welcome to come in at any stage of the program. Again further details about the time and place of groups can be found on our calendar page and if you are interested in participating please call our reception on +61 8 9319 8344.
CRC is a charitable organization run through the Catholic Church and does not charge for its groups or services, however, in order to maintain our services we warmly encourage members to make a regular donation according to their means. [ top ] |
4 Preston Point Road, East Fremantle , 6158, Western Australia.
Telephone: (+61) 8 9319 8344, Facsimile: (+61) 8 9319 8340, Email: info@crossroadscommunity.com.au
© 2008 Cross Roads Community Inc.