When clients walk out of a rehab facility after a few weeks of treatment their recovery from addiction is really just in the early stages. They must continue working on their recovery for the rest of their lives because addiction is a chronic disease. In order to be successful they need a strong support network.
Harmony Foundation can look back on more than 50 years of excellence in treating substance use disorder (SUD) in a residential setting. A lot of improvements have been implemented over those decades and we now offer treatment in gender-specific settings by trauma-informed staff.
Harmony has also created a vibrant alumni community. The value of an active alumni program cannot possibly be overrated. One of the tools Harmony is offering its alumni is an app called The Hub (available for Android and iOS devices). We have also started to offer short retreats for alumni to reinforce their recovery efforts.
The Harmony Alumni Lodge Weekend Retreat in March was designed to promote and strengthen the bond of brotherhood and self-awareness of people in recovery who identify as male. The event at the Harmony Retreat Center included two nights of lodging, five meals, and a fire ceremony.
“Not many rehab programs in the United States are able to offer retreat spaces like this,” explains Tabitha Miller, Harmony’s director of alumni and recovery support services. “Many of our clients cherish the time spent with their ‘brotherhood’ while in treatment at Harmony, and we wanted to recreate that to strengthen bonds and help them continue finding new avenues to grow on their recovery journey.”
The retreat included plenty of outdoor activities—including a trek into the Rockies—and for that purpose, Harmony partnered up with Adventure Recovery. AR is a mental health and recovery-focused adventure guide and coaching service specializing in wilderness activities.
“They led a fire-starting ceremony for our alumni,” recalls Miller. “That was definitely a highlight, symbolizing that the whole weekend was centered around sparking the flame. It was also a great way to introduce our alumni to other pathways to recovery.” Adventure Recovery utilizes outdoor skills as the foundational learning tools for awareness, growth of skills, and personal transformation.
“The group of participants was a great mix,” says Miller. “We had people with two and three years of sobriety, someone who came via an intensive outpatient program, and then we had one participant with double-digit years of recovery, so it was quite the range.”
Next up is the Swickard weekend retreat at the end of April for alumni who identify as female. All facilitators and instructors on this retreat will be female. There will be a focus on the connecting aspect of divine feminine power and peer support by the sisterhood. People in recovery with non-binary gender identification may choose which retreat they would like to join.
Harmony Foundation has long utilized a holistic approach to healing trauma and addiction. All staff at Harmony have been trained in trauma-informed care. Realizing that addiction is a biopsychosocial and spiritual disease, Harmony’s treatment program promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, empowering patients to embark upon a lifelong recovery journey.
If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol or drug addiction, or you have questions about our programs, call us today at (970) 432-8075 to get the help needed as soon as possible. Our experienced staff is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.