Positive Renewal, an innovative substance abuse treatment program designed specifically for adults who have struggled with relapse, opens at The Right Step’s residential treatment center in the Texas Hill Country. For about half of people struggling with addiction, relapse is part of the recovery process. Recognizing that no one is alone in this struggle and that people who relapse repeatedly have unique needs in treatment, Terri Edwards, LCDC, executive director of The Right Step Hill Country, designed the Positive Renewal program. “People who struggle with relapse are not flawed, inadequate or hopeless,” said Edwards. “In many cases, these are individuals who have experienced obstacles in life that others may not have or are grappling with underlying mental health issues such as trauma, anxiety, depression or co-addictions that haven’t been adequately addressed in the past.” The Positive Renewal relapse program uses a strength-based approach that builds on each client’s talents and abilities as well as the positive skills learned in previous treatment experiences. Positive Renewal builds on the foundation clients have already created for recovery and enhances it with a strong family program, opportunities to make a spiritual connection in recovery, and hands-on, experiential approaches to skill-building. “In every attempt at recovery, something is gained,” said Edwards. “We’ll build on all that our clients have learned and fill in any gaps, while teaching them resilience and other essential recovery skills to propel them forward on their path of recovery.” Treatment begins with an in-depth assessment to identify the underlying and previously untreated issues that have gotten in the way of recovery. Based on this assessment, a team of master’s level clinicians creates personalized treatment plans that include experiential therapy, individual and group therapy, coping skills groups, meditation and yoga, and 12-Step work, among other interventions. Integrated throughout treatment are a number of effective and innovative approaches including schema therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Dr. Brené Brown’s The Daring Way™ Shame Resilience Curriculum. “We’ve created a safe, sacred space for people with a history of relapse to get to the root causes of their substance abuse,” said Edwards. “Positive Renewal is a place where people can get help with their heads held high, where there are no labels, judgment or shame but rather a celebration of each client’s willingness to keep working on it until lasting recovery becomes a reality.”