Posted by Michael Griffin, MS, CADC III on October 23, 2014 | 2 comment(s)
I woke up. Where am I? How did I get here? It occurs to me that I am in my car, which is upside down. I am drunk. My car is still running. I start to panic. How could this happen? This can’t be real. My body is numb except for a sharp pain in my left shoulder where my body bounced off of the doorframe. I kick the passenger door open, step out and sink waist deep into swamp water. My car is wedged between a concrete drainage pipe and a mound of dry soil. The carriage is suspended over water. It was the scariest moment of my life. That was the night before I checked into rehab. One and a half years before I finally got sober. I was 18 years old.
Posted by Elise Mitchell on October 04, 2014 | 0 comment(s)
An important part of the journey back to health and well-being is to remember how to self-soothe when life is turbulent. At Second Nature, we encourage our clients and students to establish discipline around self-care. Creating comfort in simple, healthy ways is an essential part of that discipline and can be SO much fun to explore! The following recipe is incredibly simple and full of time-tested medicinal properties!!
Posted by Katie Rehani on October 04, 2014 | 0 comment(s)
Diving the Depths of Our Story
One of the first assignments completed by participants upon arriving to Second Nature Entrada is a life story. Reading the life story is the first introduction a person will make to the group and little direction is given on how to write it. What stands out to me is how consistently people write their stories as a linear journey that highlights the events leading to Second Nature. The subtle labels that clients put on themselves – addict, unmotivated, anxious, etc. – tell a story of people with little dimension who have “messed up” and need to “get back on track.”
Posted by Josh Larsen on September 23, 2014 | 1 comment(s)
I love being a substance abuse counselor. My formal education and professional experience over the past 11 years has brought depth and complexity to my life that challenges and enriches me daily. In truth, however, my first love is music. I’ve been writing and performing music since I was 16 years old. I wish I could adequately relate to you the thrill I get when I finish writing a new song and the absolute rush of performing that song for a crowd full of friends and family. This passion started when I was a toddler. When other kids were playing t-ball I was rocking out in front of a mirror, pretending to be the newest member of my favorite band – Metallica. Have you ever done that? Stood in front of the mirror, lip-syncing or singing along to your favorite band? Pretty nerdy, right? But we’ve all done it. I still contend that I am pretty much the greatest air-guitar player ever. No, seriously. I do. Yes, music is my passion and I couldn’t imagine loving it more than I do.
Posted by Evoke Therapy Programs on September 22, 2014 | 0 comment(s)
From a former client in Group 8 at Second Nature Entrada…
Today I celebrate my 9th month of sobriety and I can’t help but think back to when it all began…December 5th I arrived in Utah at Second Nature, scared and alone. Those of you who were there my first week might remember me as frightened and angry, even volatile. As the weeks went on, I began to find myself and slowly became me. Me…what could that even be? Me without drugs? ‘Is that even a thing,’ I thought to myself. Sure enough it was and still is. I can’t begin to explain the changes that were happening — the freedom I felt in having my “freedom” stripped from me. I found comfort in the vulnerability of clients and staff and sure enough their authenticity rubbed off on me. I found myself exposed. I stood there anticipating rejection waiting for it but what came instead I will never forget. I was figuratively embraced. Embraced as a human being who had struggled and fallen, embraced as someone who wasn’t hopeless or helpless — embraced as me. I cannot thank Second Nature enough. You gave me the skills I needed to take back my life and for this I am eternally grateful.
Posted by Dr. Paul Goddard on September 08, 2014 | 0 comment(s)
The first few weeks in wilderness are not only challenging for the program participant, but also for the parents. The plethora of emotions that parents often experience can be overwhelming. The relief of not having to worry all night about a child’s safety can morph into guilt over feeling that relief, combined with fear for the child’s wellbeing in a new environment, augmented by anxiety over the probability (or lack thereof) of meaningful and sustainable change beginning with this wilderness experience – just to name a few! It is not uncommon for anger to emerge with the realization of just how disrupted their lives have been by the child’s issues and poor choices.
Posted by Dr. Paul Goddard on September 02, 2014 | 0 comment(s)
I have the privilege of hosting Parent Workshops in Southern Utah on a regular basis. I am often amazed by the fact that the parents who seem to be the most busy are the very ones who most often find time to travel across the country to spend two days reflecting on how to best support their child’s growth and development in the wilderness. I know that there are always more things to do than there is time to do them! And so this is where we, as part of the human “race”, must evaluate our priorities. Taking time to build our own tool box is a great part of parenting!!!
Posted by Mike Mein on September 02, 2014 | 1 comment(s)
My first encounter with a client outside of therapy was a scenario that had played out in my mind many different ways, most seemed to be characterized by feelings of awkwardness and discomfort. I had heard of a lot of strange stories of counselors and field instructors running into their clients and I was not looking forward to it. As a counselor, the ethics state that if I come in contact with a client outside of therapy I cannot smile, wave, or do anything that would indicate a connection to that individual. The initiation of contact or acknowledgement of familiarity has to come from the client. If a conversation were to take place it is also my responsibility to avoid any language that would reveal the nature of our relationship and protect client confidentiality. In other words, it’s a tricky situation that could play out a million different ways and there are a lot of aspects that are out of my control. I think my uneasiness and fear related to the situation is understandable. Luckily, my first experience was a positive one.
Posted by Josh Nelson on August 21, 2014 | 0 comment(s)
This October marks the ten-year anniversary for Second Nature Entrada, in Santa Clara, Utah. Not only has Entrada set the standard in providing the highest level of care for our adolescent and young adult participants and their families back home, it has also supported and helped to grow the local community.
Posted by David Johnson, Ph.D. on August 19, 2014 | 0 comment(s)
Recently, I was playing catch with my two-year-old daughter, which is one of her favorite games lately. I’m hoping I can get a lacrosse stick in her hands before her next birthday. One of my throws was a bit too high and “Bonk” it bounced off her head. The look of shock on her face quickly melted into tears welling up in her adorable blue eyes. It is amazing how fast children learn the concept of secondary emotions, because soon after her hurt came the anger. A series of forceful one-liners: “No, No, No” erupted from her pursed lips. Then she attempted to walk past me and go to her room, which she’s learned to do in the process of her own emotion regulation. It’s a place for her to calm herself in her own space.
Today I celebrate my 9th month of sobriety and I can’t help but think back to when it all began…December 5th I arrived in Utah at Second Nature, scared and alone. Those of you who were there my first week might remember me as frightened and angry, even volatile. As the weeks went on, I began to find myself and slowly became me. Me…what could that even be? Me without drugs? ‘Is that even a thing,’ I thought to myself. Sure enough it was and still is. I can’t begin to explain the changes that were happening — the freedom I felt in having my “freedom” stripped from me. I found comfort in the vulnerability of clients and staff and sure enough their authenticity rubbed off on me. I found myself exposed. I stood there anticipating rejection waiting for it but what came instead I will never forget. I was figuratively embraced. Embraced as a human being who had struggled and fallen, embraced as someone who wasn’t hopeless or helpless — embraced as me. I cannot thank Second Nature enough. You gave me the skills I needed to take back my life and for this I am eternally grateful.
My first encounter with a client outside of therapy was a scenario that had played out in my mind many different ways, most seemed to be characterized by feelings of awkwardness and discomfort. I had heard of a lot of strange stories of counselors and field instructors running into their clients and I was not looking forward to it. As a counselor, the ethics state that if I come in contact with a client outside of therapy I cannot smile, wave, or do anything that would indicate a connection to that individual. The initiation of contact or acknowledgement of familiarity has to come from the client. If a conversation were to take place it is also my responsibility to avoid any language that would reveal the nature of our relationship and protect client confidentiality. In other words, it’s a tricky situation that could play out a million different ways and there are a lot of aspects that are out of my control. I think my uneasiness and fear related to the situation is understandable. Luckily, my first experience was a positive one.