A family support group will be restarting in person at the Mental Health Association in Chautauqua County to give families and friends options for helping those with substance use issues.
MHA Associate Director of Student Activities Ken Yergens said the group had not met in person for some time due to the Pandemic, but will be starting back up in person at the MHA at 6:00 p.m., Tuesdays with the first meeting November 2nd.
Facilitator Barb Ravellette said the group will feature SMART Recovery, which is Self Management and Recovery Training, “This program is based on the fact that although the person may have a problem, this program doesn’t call them by a label – you’re not an alcoholic, you’re not co-dependant, you’re not those things that we run around with these labels hanging over our head. And that also means that recovery on their choice and ours is a choice.”
Ravellete said the meetings will be based around a curriculum, “We’re going to cover topics such as how do we change and why do we change. And I think one of the important things is taking the steps to change also takes courage. It takes a lot of courage. And we want the participants to know this is a supportive environment and people with similar experiences are going to be there.”
Yergens added that participants can expect a lot of education, destigmatization, and “mythbusting” for what families can and can’t do.
For more information on the family support group, contact the MHA at 716-661-9044 or visit mhachautauqua.org.
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