About the author:
Nicole Soria has been a member of Sanctuary Centers’ Co-Occurring Disorders team since 2018. As Administrative Manager, she works closely with everyone coming in for treatment alongside our team of therapists and counselors.
The world is an uncertain and frustrating place right now for all of us. We all have our challenges, especially this year.
But the population that Sanctuary Centers serves is facing a particularly hard time. In addition to the strain of mental illness, many clients suffer from physical health conditions as well. Further, the isolation and loneliness can fuel mental health issues, anxiety can be heightened; depression growing.
But we are resilient. Every one of us.
We’d like to celebrate our clients by looking at how much they are able to show up and persevere through these exceptional challenges. Each individual’s challenges vary—just like all our circumstances are different—depending on what they’re faced with and their mental health challenge.
Unlearning What Isn’t Working
In addition to all these external challenges, our clients have even more coming from within, for example: if coping skills aren’t developed, some clients then struggle with substance use, which is what they’ve been leaning on to comfort them in the past.
But this is where our clients are working hard to swim against the current.
Saying goodbye to a substance is like saying goodbye to the one thing that was working. It’s a challenge. Especially now. At Sanctuary, we applaud every single client who comes in to change their negative coping skills; we are here for you. To trudge through the anxiety, fear and discomfort of leaving behind these negative skills, and picking up new skills and putting them into practice.
Learning What Works
We are here to help.
Our clinicians are always available, and they’re not giving up. They’re determined to fight for normalcy, to help clients feel connected to the staff, to the program and to their peers. It has filled me with so much gratitude to be a part of this team and to see how hard everyone is working.
The first step: picking up the phone and making the call. I’ve received calls from clients who want to get well, who want to find some relief, who don’t know where to begin.
In recovery, it takes a village. A lot of our clients don’t have this support… We get to be their village. And it is a privilege. And there are so many clients I want to hug and embrace because they are working so hard to make improvements.
Just last month there was a gentleman who came in, a returning client. At the start of Covid, he got a job and sought support in a 12-step AA program. When he came back last month, he was dysregulated: shaking, exuding physical discomfort and emotional trauma. He was desperate to get back on track.
The Trick to Treatment
When first starting recovery, it’s hard to know where to begin. Sometimes there are feelings of shame and insecurity. It is impossible to have the answers.
The trick to treatment is to always be welcoming.
We are always welcoming with open arms: no matter how many times someone has walked away, no matter how many times you need us, we’re always going to be there. You don’t have to be perfect. You can be messy, you can be afraid, you can be at rock bottom…
… you’ll always be supported by Sanctuary. This is the most important message in our Co-Occurring Disorder program and the recovery community at large.
In some cases, I’ve seen clients show up to our door without hope. But for some reason, they’re drawn to us. Something inside compels them to reach out. They know there are solutions here.
Seeking Out Solutions
When a gentleman showed up visibly withdrawing from alcohol, I felt a deep empathy with what he was going through. On every level. And I could see what his journey would look like, working towards finding the new solution, and “remaining teachable,” as the 12-step program says.
The only people who cannot recover are those who aren’t honest with themselves.
Sometimes, to walk forward, we have to take a step back.
This is why I get out of bed. At the end of the day it’s not about me. I want to be one of the people who pulls people up, who connects people to the solution for their individual challenge.
It is so rewarding to be a part of this team. When the connection happens, they understand how much we want them to succeed. To start turning perspective toward the light. This wouldn’t be possible without the team and the work that they do. My job is only possible because of them.
For me, I haven’t been able to articulate the miracle of recovery, of watching our clients recover, into the English language. Whatever you call it—God, the universe—it’s a miracle to get to watch it everyday at work.
Do you have a challenge that you are having trouble working through? We are here to help. Please call us any time:
805-569-2785.
