Humans come in an array of shapes and sizes, and our bodies are the vehicles that allow us to embrace life’s pleasures. Unfortunately, society reinforces the message that our appearance must conform to specific ideals. In particular, many girls and women go to extremes to achieve a certain size and shape, often sacrificing health and happiness along the way. According to data from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will develop an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime. What are some disordered eating symptoms to be aware [...]

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, up to half of women can experience a traumatic event in their lifetimes, and many of them will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. This condition can be extremely disruptive, and can also lead to other problems such as substance abuse and eating disorders. Since PTSD is so prevalent among women, you may benefit from educating yourself about what it entails and its characteristic symptoms so you can spot the warning signs in yourself or others. What Is PTSD? The stigma surrounding trauma has given rise to the misconception that women with [...]

Among addiction’s most insidious abilities is its capacity to come between you and your loved ones. In recovery, you will need to find new ways to rebuild your relationships, including the foundation of trust that healthy relationships rest upon. Adventure therapy has emerged as a leading method for teaching people to trust others and themselves. What Is Adventure Therapy? Adventure therapy is a form of experiential therapy that helps people struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders by allowing them to participate in various supervised “adventures.” Adventure therapy fundamentally relies on perceived risk, which requires participants to venture outside their [...]

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 [...]