Coaching groups are one of the fundamental aspects of how I coach people and families. When clients ask me why I believe recovery coaching groups are so essential and powerful, I list a few reasons for them after I ask them to answer the question first, in true coaching form.
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Here’s what clients have said:
- “I found my people–people who get me and that I can relate to.”
- “Listening to others share their stories has given me courage to keep going in my own recovery.”
- “It’s fun and safe!”
- “This is SUPER affordable compared to therapy or a private counselor or coach and you get so much out of it!”
- “There is a specific end date so I don’t have to be the one that decides when I’m done. If I want to join another group, I always can, and meet more people, too.”
- “When I heard others share their hurts and shame, it helped me to open up finally.”
These are all FABULOUS reasons. Here’s one I like to add: Because you know you need to and want to deep down even though it’s scary at first. That is exactly how I felt before I went to my first recovery group to talk about my husband’s sexual addiction. I didn’t want to tell anyone about my story. I was ashamed of it. I was broken. Crushed. And I was judgmental about “THOSE PEOPLE” that go to recovery groups in church basements. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I would have never gone to the first group. However, I was in pain, IMMENSE pain, and willing to try just about anything to try to feel normal and sane again.
Imagine my shock when I walked in and everyone had higher degrees and salaries then me! Now I have to be careful to not stereotype people at all. The point I’m trying to make is “those people” that go to recovery groups are people who are want to grow and heal and process and recover. The first group meeting I was in changed my mindset forever about what a recovery group looks like and if it’s helpful. I left that meeting that day not feeling like an outsider in my own body; not feeling like the only person in the world whose husband betrayed her; not wanting to throw in the towel, but actually start to recover. One day at a time. One moment at a time. Left foot, right foot, making the next right decision.
The first group session is the hardest one to attend, but if you decide to show up, the rewards are immense and the people are precious. Now that I am a family recovery coach and can coach groups myself, I have come full circle to share the grace of a recovery group with others. God’s grace has not gone to waste in my life, and it doesn’t have to go to waste in yours, either.
I hope you will consider taking that step, sending that email, registering for that group, calling that friend, showing up for your life–left foot, right foot.
Grace on grace,
Amanda
Grace Place Coaching 