What is Recovery International and How Can it Help Your Clients?

Description: Recovery International is a peer-led, self-help method for mental health. Members attend weekly group meetings to give examples of how they used Recovery’s cognitive-behavioral tools to reduce fear and anger. The Recovery International method is designed for anyone who suffers from stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, sensitivity, and related physical symptoms. With the method’s tools, participants can learn to:

• Identify when they are working themselves up and apply the appropriate tools to work themselves down
• Replace insecure thoughts with healthier, secure thoughts
• Control their impulses and increase their level of self-respect
• Let go of judgments of right and wrong in dealing with the trivialities of daily life
• Avoid using extreme language, complaining and “talking things up”

Recovery International works as a complement to professional mental health services. Recovery Int’l methods:
• Free clients from judgments and temper so that they can develop more insights
• Give clients tools to prevent life’s stressors from piling up by handling each triviality as it comes along
• Provide clients with a sense of hope as they learn to be more self-led than symptom-led.

The presentation will be divided into two sections:
1) Tracy Hollister will explain the philosophy and method of Recovery International, as well as her personal story of how it has helped in her own life and how she has seen it help others.
2) Sandi Painter will lead a demonstration group in which a few members of the Raleigh Recovery International meeting will give a few examples using the meeting structure. Members of the audience will be invited to participate and provide comments.

You will be given follow-up literature and meeting information that can be used to refer select clients to get the support and tools at the Raleigh meeting (also held in two Triangle locations: Carrboro and Chapel Hill).

Presenters: Tracy Hollister, MA in Policy Analysis from Duke, has a bachelor’s in psychology and works as a research manager in the field of corporate training. Tracy has taught a few courses based on the Recovery International method and passionately shares her views about how helpful Recovery International is to whoever will listen.

Sandi Painter is a full-time master’s student getting her degree in Social Work at UNC-Chapel Hill. Sandi has led Recovery International meetings in Spanish and taught Recovery International skills to consumers at Wake County, where she works as a case manager.

Tracy and Sandi are good friends and both recently went to national leadership training at HQ in Chicago.

RSVP: Please RSVP to Robin Forgione by email by Wed. April 22 to confirm seating. If your plans change prior to the luncheon and you cannot attend, please send Robin an email so that we can have an accurate headcount for the restaurant. Please consider bringing a non-member to hear about our association! Counseling Students are also welcome to attend.