Gratitude Therapy – Finding Happiness in Recovery/Life
I keep a file, with a pink and orange leaf motif, labeled “HAPPINESS”. The file contains articles, post-it notes, clippings, and odds and ends on positive psychology. I am fascinated by the concept of gratitude as a therapeutic intervention (in these times it seems even more germane). And how gratitude groups in the treatment […]
Update: Sanford Outpatient and Virtual Treatment
The Governor issued Executive Order 2020-21, requiring all people in Michigan to “stay home and stay safe” three months ago. Since that time, Sanford has worked to provide addiction treatment for our clients under these extenuating circumstances. Our Residential Programs are available with testing, increased policies and response protocols. And we were able to pivot […]
Denial of Addiction – the First Stage of Acceptance
In our last article, we reviewed what it feels like to be a person developing a substance use disorder (SUD). We are now beginning a series discussing the dynamics and defenses used by people as they develop an SUD. The primary defenses used as addictive disease progresses are denial, justification, deception, and manipulation. Denial, […]
A Thank You Note to My Sobriety in Uncertain Times
Many years ago, I co-owned an art gallery. Art is a business characterized by booze-laced openings. And if the truth be known, I kept a bottle of plonk in my desk drawer in our distressed-brick communal office for the “down times”. When I look back on the genesis of my active addiction, Spiller Vincenty Gallery […]
WGVU Morning Show – How Pets Can Improve Recovery
Pets in recovery? Clinical Therapist Ali Kitchin, author of the article, Power of Pets in Virtual Addiction Treatment, was interviewed (virtually) by the WGVU Morning Show with Shelley Irwin. In the interview, she talks about why our furry friends can be a tool for lasting sobriety. The power of pets is consistency. We’re all looking […]
Humor as Therapy – The Limelight Interview
Addiction treatment has been impacted by the uncertainty and isolation of the past few months. During this time, we learned that group therapy can be conducted, with positive outcomes, via telehealth. And we also learned that glimpses of the lives and living environments of our clients and therapists during virtual treatment creates a new intimacy. […]
Sanford Response to Social Injustice
The point of this letter is to let you know what might seem obvious, that I, and my team support and stand for equality, fair treatment, social justice, advocacy, and access to medical and mental health resources for everyone … We not only want to promote an awareness surrounding mental health but acknowledge our […]
Power of Pets in Virtual Addiction Treatment
Updated March 2024 Floofer. Doggo. Pupper. Good Boy. These are some of the most cringe-worthy but intensely heartfelt phrases I find flying out of my mouth whenever I see a dog. It can get very embarrassing for those around me whenever I fail to regulate my reaction to pets. All of a sudden, my […]
Newcomers to Recovery – Building on the Basics
I love the phrase that says, “The newcomer is the most important person in the room.” And as I get further into my recovery journey, I recognize how true this is. In my early days, I was not really helping anyone else in recovery. I was too busy helping myself. Now however, the newcomers […]
Hiking Michigan – This is your Brain on Nature
In the rafters of the historic home I live in, there is a bird’s nest which has provided a snapshot of nature in the past three months. While I sheltered at home, I studied the wren who built the nest through my bathroom window. She attempted to warm her eggs during the March drizzle […]
