SMART Recovery is a mental health and educational program for addiction recovery focused on changing the behavior of the addicted person towards long-term recovery.
The success of SMART Recovery depends on the support of a large network of dedicated volunteers teaching and advocating about the program around the world.
How SMART Volunteers Help
The meeting format for SMART recovery program is straightforward and organized. Volunteer facilitators are trained to follow the SMART Recovery program and principles to help participants change their behavior. SMART Recovery meetings are serious but often fun. The focus of the discussions is on applying SMART’s tools for change so that the participants can go on to lead a more productive and connected life.
SMART volunteers carry out a number of roles. These include being a committee member, board member, online or in-person facilitator. Volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds. They could be professionals in the addiction treatment field, family, and friends of someone undergoing addiction treatment, or even individuals who are in their own long term recovery. The common thread for all the volunteers is their strong desire to help others along their journey towards full recovery from addiction.
Local Volunteering
Local SMART Recovery Facilitators paly an important role by being a critical resource for people in their communities seeking relief from their addictive behaviors. The volunteers usually play the role of an ambassador or advocate by providing information about local medical facilities, courts, and community.
Online Volunteering
More than 1,000 people sign up every month for SMART program’s online activities. Experienced volunteers play an important role using the program tools to help the individuals to learn to address the issues around the underlying issues that might have led them towards addiction as a coping mechanism.
Volunteer Trainings & Options
There are several training program courses and options that the potential volunteer can select based on the specific volunteer role they would like to take on. Examples include:
Meeting Host Training – This option gives training to conduct a meaningful SMART Recovery meeting. The volunteer provides the location to host a meeting and the program will provide the meeting outline, structure, and the topics for discussions.
Facilitator Training – This training is aimed to provide the volunteer with a comprehensive review of the SMART Recovery 4-Point Program, the SMART Recovery tools, and a lot of guidance. It is their most popular training course.
Family & Friends Training – This is an “add-on” to the Facilitator training. This additional training is designed for those volunteers who would like to organize a support group for those having a loved one with addictive behavior.
Facilitator/Family & Friends Training – This is essentially a “combo” package putting together the core Facilitator Training with the add on Family & Friends Training as a single training course option.
SMART Recovery for Professionals – This is more specialized training. It is designed for licensed health care professionals who wish to use SMART Recovery’s self-empowering, evidence-based 4-Point Program®, and Tools in their professional role and with their patients.
For more information: https://www.smartrecovery.org/volunteer/