This is the first slide - to watch the entire slide deck on how the Recovery Cafe model works - copy/paste this link - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1biuydmEZtwsIXctQzS-sBnb4x-twkfzGakxdQo7mKoM/edit?usp=sharing
Core Commitments
Creating a community space that is drug- and alcohol-free, embracing, and healing
- Preserve a drug- and alcohol-free space 24-hour drug and alcohol free environment
- Establish a culture of safety for everyone in the community, especially the traditionally marginalized
- Maintain a physical space that conveys beauty, dignity, and respect
- Employ an inclusive definition of recovery that is person-centered and broadly embraces both chemical dependency and mental health challenges
- Create a culture of reconciliation and healthy leave-taking that honors good-byes
o Maintain an open door policy that actively engages in a plan for repair
o Acknowledge the tensions that arise between the needs of the individual and the community as a whole, and commit to addressing these conflicts with balanced compassion
o Honestly acknowledge when an individual’s needs will be best met elsewhere
Nurturing structures of loving accountability called Recovery Circles
- Establish accountability to Recovery Circle attendance as central to Membership
- Clearly define peer support as:
o an opportunity to know and be known by others in recovery
o an opportunity to practice accountability
o the sharing of experience, resources, and feedback when appropriate
- Establish Recovery Circles as a place for peer support that is distinct from 12-step meetings or treatment
- Respect the privacy of Members, but acknowledge that facilitators may share concerns with staff
- Provide the necessary leadership, facilitator training, and space requirements for Recovery Circles
- Prepare for naturally occurring conflict by modeling a commitment to conflict resolution
- Create an atmosphere of shared learning that values both the one who speaks and the one who listens
What is the Recovery Café Model?
The Recovery Café model seeks to create communities of belonging and becoming that stand in the gap between treatment visits, between leaving the treatment and/or criminal justice system and returning to everyday life. Recovery Café founder Killian Noe often says, “we stand in the gap and build bridges between those who have what they need to thrive and fulfill their potential and those who do not.”
Many, if not most, of Recovery Café’s Members engage a range of service providers who also offer crucial social support either on a drop-in basis or as part of their treatment program. In contrast, the Recovery Café Model is a free-standing community without a formal treatment component. This allows the Café to welcome the person who is either unable or hesitant to engage in the treatment system. And instead of saying, “come, get treated, get well, and go,” we are able to say, “come, stay, get well among us, build a strong foundation to keep growing, healing and contributing to the larger community and world.” At the same time, the model relies on a membership structure that creates more opportunities for loving accountability than drop-in centers.
To read a beautiful description of how the first Recovery Café came to be, please see Descent Into Love published in 2015 by founder, Killian Noe. In it she shares the story of Recovery Café’s beginning, introduces the many generous companions who helped us grow, and shares stories about real people who have literally come back to life in the midst of a loving community. It is the story of Recovery Café’s deepest mission: to nurture a loving, healing community.
To read the detailed Recovery Cafe model - please go here...
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