These are undoubtedly uncertain times for the world. The current situation has people in their homes for the purpose of protecting people from spreading COVID-19. According to a KFF poll, 45% of adults in the United States reported their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the virus. For some people, this is the first time in this type of situation. It could bring feelings you have never experienced before.  Some common feelings you may be experiencing from this shelter-in-place order are fear, doubt, anxiety, guilt, isolation, and loneliness. For people who struggle with mental [...]

Most families and clients who are recommended aftercare after treatment are quite surprised. We also find that most people are confused because they have been given several options, at very different price points. There is not a lot of information available regarding the differences and what questions to ask that could be helpful. It's also challenging because, in some cases, some programs are using the same words, but the levels of care vary considerably. In this blog, we are going to go over the differences of aftercare, where Rising Roads fits, and what questions you can ask other programs when [...]

There is a general trajectory we see at Rising Roads.  This particular blog is regarding the first 30 days of our 90-day program.  It's important to define what level of care Rising Roads is in the treatment industry.  Rising Roads is a Residential Extended Aftercare Program for women. The women who come to Rising Roads are completing an initial 30-90 day stabilization program or have been in stabilization many times and continue to release into unhealthy patterns when they go home.  The primary goal of Rising Roads is to take the work that has been done and go deeper into the healing process, clinically [...]

Some of our clients are not sure where to go and what to do next in their lives. Rising Roads offers a comprehensive career matching and personality report for our clients and their families looking for more direction as they are moving forward into life. The report utilizes the most up-to-date, reliable and valid psychometric tests available and details four domains: abilities, interests, values, and personality. Where these four domains intersect show the best career matches and areas of study for the individual. This report places the individual on the best career or educational path moving forward. This test is [...]

Meet Sue Gauthier-Pin, AMFT, our expressive arts therapist! We are happy to announce that her recent publication entitled, “The Magic of Monologue: Healing Depression Through Drama” is now available to read on PsychINFO!  In this piece, Sue shares about her personal struggle with depression and finding healing through performing with The Long Beach Community Theater.  She discussed how her autobiographical performance in an applied community theater setting was similar to aspects of drama therapy, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy.  She also explores how four common treatment goals for depression can be addressed through the process of writing, rehearsing, and performing [...]

If you have already attended a family week with your loved in primary treatment, you learned the entire family usually has some dysfunctional patterns.  A few characteristics are listed below.  Sometimes it is hard for an individual to see these characteristics within themselves.  Parents, siblings and significant others have set up their survival skills, and some of these characteristics have become a way of life.  We often don’t see it is a problem because we justify behaviors with “It’s how I grew up” or “It’s just who I am.”  It helps to get out of ourselves and get curious.  A pattern [...]

I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. One of the most useful skills I am learning at Rising Roads is how to turn around my thinking. To take my pessimistic thoughts, hit the pause button, stay mindful and turn the page to a clear, more positive thought pattern. It has taken me a long time to get to a place of more understanding, to have a desire to let go of my bad habits - and I connect it all to working on self-esteem. While I worked on positive affirmations, step work, and therapy, I began to tend to the garden [...]

In honor of National Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8, Forbes.com ran an article titled “How Women Experience Addiction Differently Than Men.” For any of you already in recovery, you’re probably feverishly nodding your head just from reading the title alone. We know that as women we experience unique challenges when it comes to addiction and recovery — challenges that are best met with a female-centric approach to treatment. Sadly, until the 1990s when U.S. agencies required federally funded studies to enroll more women, most research on substance use focused on men, explains the author. Today, [...]

A big part of recovery is learning to make better choices – including how we handle stress and what we put into our bodies to nourish our minds and bodies. This is where mindful eating can come into play. Eating slowly and mindfully has been found to boost your mental health. Mindful eating means chewing slowly and focusing your attention on your feelings and senses as you eat. Learning to eat mindfully will teach you how to slow down and enjoy your food, to stop when you’re full and to decipher real hunger from cravings due to stress. Here are [...]

Postpartum depression triggered Ashley Hartshorn’s alcohol use disorder – and, after just five years of alcohol abuse, she died leaving her three children behind. "She wanted so badly to quit drinking, but the shame and the fear kept her from being able to allow herself to reach out for help," Ashley’s mother told USA Today. "Like many, we were ignorant to the effects that alcohol has on the body. I thought she had time, time to hit rock bottom and time to seek help.” Amy Durham, who grew up with a father who abused alcohol, began drinking in her 30s [...]