Supporting recovery beyond addiction with Harvest House Atlantic
Recovery from addiction is about more than stopping the use of drugs or alcohol. For many people, lasting recovery also means understanding the experiences, emotions and challenges that contributed to their substance use in the first place.
That was the thinking behind a partnership between Just Us and Harvest House Atlantic, a residential recovery centre in Moncton. The two non-profit organizations worked together earlier this year to make subsidized counselling available to residents of Harvest House Atlantic’s nine-month residential recovery program.
The partnership provided approximately 20 residents with access to counselling during their time in the program, giving them an opportunity to work through some of the challenges that can exist beneath addiction and develop tools to support their long-term recovery.
Looking beyond addiction
Harvest House Atlantic provides a structured nine-month residential program for people working to overcome drug and alcohol addiction. During the first five months, residents followed a highly structured schedule that included classes, fitness, Bible studies, church, workplace preparation and financial education.
Counselling became another part of that support system.
For Wade Flynn, a Harvest House Atlantic case worker who had also completed the program himself, counselling played an important role in helping residents address the issues that could otherwise follow them after leaving the recovery centre.
“Most addictions, not all, start with underlying issues such as trauma,” Flynn explains. “If they come in here, have a roof over their head and leave [without any counselling], they will go out with all the same problems.”
Simply removing someone from an environment where they were using substances does not necessarily address the stress, conflict, emotions or other challenges they will face when they return to everyday life.
The goal of counselling was to help residents begin addressing those underlying issues and develop healthy coping strategies they could carry with them after completing the program.
“We want people to dig into the root of their issues so they don’t have to come back to recovery and have the coping tools to make it through life,” Flynn says.
The value of an outside perspective
One of the benefits of the partnership was that residents could speak with a counsellor who was separate from the Harvest House Atlantic program.
Residents had opportunities to talk with staff and peers about their experiences, but Flynn emphasized that speaking with an independent third party offered something different.
“They can vent to their peers or staff, but it’s not the same as having an outside ear to talk to,” he explains.
The counselling sessions were delivered virtually, allowing residents to access professional support while remaining within the structure of the residential program.
At first, encouraging some residents to participate was challenging. By the time they reached the later stages of the program, some felt that they had already overcome their addiction and questioned whether counselling was still necessary.
However, Flynn found that residents who were newer to the program were often more open to exploring counselling and talking about some of the issues they were experiencing.
“The sessions definitely helped,” he says. “It was a bit hard at first. These guys have already come through a program and they’re five months in and they think they’re healed and don’t need counselling. But when new people come in fresh, they’re more open to it and talking about things.”
Creating space for real recovery
Harvest House Atlantic’s structured approach is designed to give residents space to focus on recovery without many of the distractions and pressures of everyday life.
For the first five months, residents had limited access to their phones, no visitors and followed a highly structured schedule. After five months, they could begin working and gradually gained more independence as they prepared to transition back into the community.
For Flynn, who had experienced the program himself, that structure was an important part of his own recovery.
“Without the rule of the phone, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he says.
The transition toward greater independence could also be one of the most challenging stages of recovery. Flynn said that around three months into the program, some residents began feeling better and believed they no longer needed the structure and accountability the program provided.
Later, when they entered the working stage, some were eager to move on, find their own place and begin building a life outside the recovery centre.
But continuing to engage with support and accountability could make an important difference.
Building a foundation for life after recovery
Harvest House Atlantic has been operating for more than 20 years and has supported many people as they work toward long-term recovery. Wade said many former residents were doing well after completing the program, with some even returning to work at Harvest House Atlantic and helping others through their own recovery journeys.
The organization’s experience highlights an important reality of addiction recovery: completing a residential program is only one part of the journey.
People also need the skills and support to manage the challenges they will encounter once they return to their families, workplaces and communities.
The partnership between Harvest House Atlantic and Just Us recognized the value of addressing those challenges as part of the recovery process. By providing subsidized counselling, the partnership helped residents access professional support to explore underlying issues, process difficult experiences and develop healthier ways of coping.
Recovery is not simply about leaving addiction behind. It is about building the tools, confidence and support systems needed to move forward. For the residents who participated, counselling was one piece of that larger journey.
To learn more about our free and low-cost counselling services, visit justusinc.ca.