Recurrence of Use: Develop Positive Relationships with Staff

Help staff and leaders develop positive relationships with residents.  

Recovery homes that offer a higher level of support have paid staff.  Recovery homes at lower levels of support may not have paid staff, but there are often residents or others who are seen as community leaders.

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Recovery homes can ensure that staff and leaders model recovery principles and are available to help residents prevent recurrence of use by:

• Training all staff, no matter their role, on the basics of the disease of addiction, recovery and the Social Model of Recovery.
• Ensuring that any staff who are peers have a support system and can monitor their own recovery.
• Providing training on the cultures of the diverse populations served by the recovery home.
• Requiring training on appropriate boundaries for staff and peer leaders.
• Encouraging staff and peer leaders to engage with residents informally, to develop friendships and to create an environment where residents feel safe sharing information and challenges.
• Having staff practice active listening and motivational interviewing.