Full course description
The Recovery Resilience Program is an evidence-based, resilience and strength-based relapse prevention and recovery-oriented program designed for individuals in addiction recovery. The I-System Institute for Transdisciplinary Studies, Utah State University, offers an online and self-paced version of the Recovery Resilience Program that guides participants through the process outlined in the book "Building Recovery Resilience: Addiction Recovery and Relapse Prevention Workbook," published by Cambridge University Press. This online program was designed and is offered by the authors of "Building Recovery Resilience."
This program supports individuals who are transitioning into a recovery-oriented lifestyle. The transition from treatment to “real life” is challenging and often associated with heightened relapse risk. The program significantly mitigates that risk by introducing easy-to-apply evidence-based skills to aid individuals in committed recovery.
Completing the program will assist individuals in developing a Recovery Resilience Practice that will facilitate their addiction recovery process by enhancing their capacity to effectively work a recovery and relapse prevention program. The practices presented build ‘recovery resilience’ – a term we use to refer to an individual’s capacity to effectively apply coping and self-regulation skills in dealing with cravings, triggers, stress, and high-risk situations without reverting to substance use. The concept of recovery resilience relates to the notion of ‘recovery capital,’ a phrase used in recovery communities to refer to the sum of all internal and external resources that a person has available to initiate and maintain their ongoing recovery process. A Recovery Resilience Practice aims to strengthen an individual’s capacity to draw upon their existing recovery capital (e.g., skills, social support, knowledge, etc.), which will help prevent relapse, promote flourishing, and enable one to live the good life.
The Recovery Resilience Practice that individuals will develop by completing the program is not meant to replace any of their existing recovery practices. Instead, it is designed to positively augment any recovery-oriented pathway, work in synergy with peer-support groups like 12-Step fellowships, and form one foundation of their overall recovery-orientated lifestyle. The program offers specific practices for (1) coping with high-risk situations, triggers, and cravings; (2) effectively managing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can contribute towards relapse; (3) promoting flourishing beyond mere sobriety.
Structure: This online program comprises six modules, each based on a chapter in Building Recovery Resilience, and a practical and experiential assignment for each module. The assignments are designed to provide an opportunity to interact with and receive guidance from the course facilitator and other course participants. A certificate of completion is awarded if all assignments are submitted. The online program is self-paced and can be completed within 4 to 8 weeks, and a Recovery Resilience Program facilitator is available for assistance and guidance throughout the duration of the process.
