Some life skills may fall by the wayside when someone struggles with addiction. That’s why The Arbor Experience for clients diagnosed with substance use disorders (SUDs) may include a life skill training program, along with recreational activities and alternative therapy options that complement evidence-based interventions. The Arbor Behavioral Healthcare is 100% committed to helping clients—no matter where they are in their recovery journey.
When a client enrolls in a life skills training program, the intent is to have them learn or relearn the skills needed to support an enjoyable, happy, and productive sober life. Contact The Arbor today by calling 844.413.2690 or reaching out to our team online.
What Is a Life Skills Training Program?
The most comprehensive and effective addiction treatment programs focus on more than teaching clients how to maintain sobriety. Along with psychotherapy that helps clients understand their SUDs and their triggers, a life skills training program can equip them with essential life skills they will need once they return to their routines.
A program like this supports a holistic approach to addiction recovery, as it aids in the complete rehabilitation of clients’ emotional, mental, and physical health. Most life skills training programs include the following components:
- Budgeting and money management – Addiction is often a costly habit, and many clients struggling with SUDs enter rehab in a state of financial disarray. A life skills training program must teach financial literacy to work towards financial independence.
- Developing healthy communication skills – Clients may find socializing challenging when they’re newly sober. This obstacle could be because they previously relied on addictive substances to calm them in social settings or because they haven’t had ample practice being their sober selves with peers around them. Some clients may have difficulty expressing and maintaining personal boundaries, listening to others, or engaging in healthy conflict resolution—even though they’re already sober. In life skills training programs, clients learn to communicate appropriately in one-on-one and group therapy sessions, where they can offer and receive peer support in a safe environment.
- Educational training and placement – Some clients may have dropped out of school once their struggle with SUDs becomes unmanageable. A life skills training program can help clients like this re-enter educational institutions and choose subjects of study that interest them.
- Effectively planning for the future – For most clients struggling with addiction, planning for the future can be overwhelming. After all, it was difficult enough for them to seek professional help to overcome their addictions. However, transitioning from an addiction treatment setting back to independent living can be very difficult without a solid plan. Clients can plan for future success while being supported by a life skills training program that offers continuing care services—such as ongoing one-on-one psychotherapy or even job or school placement.
- Nutritional counseling – Many clients struggling with long-term or severe addiction are malnourished when they finally seek professional help. They may no longer be able to identify and prepare nutritious meals, and addiction may have prevented them from absorbing the nutrients they need to function correctly. Nutrition counseling can help clients learn how to eat well on a budget, make healthy choices at the supermarket, and prepare nutritious meals and snacks.
- Managing stress through maintaining physical fitness – Adequate physical fitness is something that people should maintain to take care of their physical health. However, for clients struggling with addiction, regular physical exercise can also be a way to improve their mental health by relieving stress. A good life skills training program should introduce clients to a range of healthy physical activities—such as swimming or yoga—that can help with stress management.
- Restoring family functionality and rebuilding family relationships – For many clients, their loved ones are their built-in support system—and could be the reason they sought professional help to overcome their addiction in the first place. It should follow for loved ones to be involved in the addiction recovery process. Clients struggling with addiction must have healthy family relationships that aren’t prone to dysfunction, which is why many life skills training programs offer family therapy sessions.
- Vocational training – Job preparedness is essential for clients who have been unable to hold down employment due to struggling with addiction. More than simply providing job placement, clients learn a range of skills that go hand-in-hand with finding an appropriate job or career—including resume building, interviewing skills, and managing workplace triggers.
What Is the Importance of Life Skills Training in Addiction Treatment?
As mentioned earlier, a life skills training program allows clients the best chance to successfully maintain long-term sobriety after they undergo formal addiction treatment. A program like this teaches skills potentially lost while a client struggled with addiction, leading to benefits such as the following:
- Creating healthier behavioral patterns
- Creating structure and productive schedules
- Helping in achieving personal goals
- Avoiding relapse after formal addiction treatment
- Increasing self-esteem and self-worth
Undergoing a life skills training program helps clients and their family members—who may have difficulties impacting their daily lives due to their loved one’s struggle with addiction.
When Should You Consider a Rehab-Related Life Skills Training Program?
Life skills training in addiction treatment is essential for clients to successfully transition back into society while remaining sober.
If you or a loved one is undergoing a comprehensive addiction treatment program, ask about life skills training and whether or not it’s recommended. Typically, life skills training is part of a successful addiction treatment program.
Ready to Learn More About The Arbor Behavioral Healthcare’s Life Skills Training Program?
If you’re looking for a rehab-related life skills training program in Austin, TX, contact The Arbor today. Call 844.413.2690 or contact our team online.