Stacey Karchner, a Family Recovery life coach through the BALM (Be A Loving Mirror) Family Recovery Program, will be teaching a free, eight-week online Zoom course for those in Clearfield-Jefferson counties who are affected by another’s Substance Use Disorder/Addiction.
The course is sponsored by the Behavioral Health Rural Health Initiative. The BALM program evolved around the fact that those with substance use are human beings and deserving of love just as any other person is.
The family role is crucial, and families often can and do make a difference. Research shows when the family gets well, the loved one has a much better chance at getting and staying well.
The brains of those with SUD/addiction are hijacked by a drug (believing it is needed to survive) and in turn the family’s brains are hijacked and addicted to the loved one, obsessed with trying to control or fix and obsessed with the outcome.
Therefore, the family needs just as much ,if not more, recovery than their loved one.
Because of the profound effect the BALM had on Stacey’s journey, she took intense training to become a BALM Family Recovery life coach and help other families get to the BALM sooner than she got to it.
The course Stacey will be teaching is a component of the BALM program consisting of 12 lessons.
Lessons include topics such as “The Crucial Role of the Family,” “Leverage & Boundaries,” “Motivational Interviewing,” “Enabling versus Helping,” “Responding versus Reacting,” “Self -Care and Mindfulness,” etc.
Family members find a new perspective and learn new ways of acting, being and speaking without anger and judgement.
They become the chief supporter rather than the obstacle just as they would if their loved one was struggling with any other type of illness.
The course begins Wednesday, Aug. 16 by Zoom platform, and will be held weekly from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Those enrolled will be mailed the materials. For more information or to enroll, e-mail skarchner9@gmail.com or call 814-360-7590.
