RRPS - Liberation

Be sure to read the bottom of this post for specific examples of content from RRPS-Liberation!

Radical Recovery Peer Support is a program that utilizes Peer Support to help individuals achieve wellness and personal growth. The author of the program uses first-person inspirational passages to draw parallels between concepts and recovery. The Program Involves Both a Mentor training component and group sessions that can be done either in-person or online.

For the group programs, we have three options. The first is a general wellness and personal growth group which is simply called Radical Recovery Peer Support. There is also a group with a focus on higher education called “RRPS-University”, and finally there is a version of RRPS for Criminal-reentry called “RRPS-Liberation”.

Over the course of five sessions each group covers important concepts like the Linear Growth Model and Parallel Recovery Concepts. It Also Focuses on the nine Recovery Fundamentals which include principles like Honesty, Trust, Acceptance, Hope, Personal Responsibility, Self-Advocacy, and others. How each group presents the concepts and fundamentals is unique.

The Linear Growth Model recognizes that while growth and recovery are not always linear, putting in effort does often lead to progress over time. Growth may appear uneven, with periods of progress and periods of struggle. However, making consistent efforts through programs like Radical Recovery Peer Support can help us move closer to our hope of achieving stability and wellness.

RRPS is a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is such because the description of the Concepts and Fundamentals, as well as the person first descriptions of the recovery journey address beliefs, thoughts, and feelings commonly experienced in a specific but large audience. Each program addresses thoughts, beliefs, and feelings that held the author back and provides a solution of improving our thoughts, beliefs, and control over our feelings by getting more aligned with positive expressions of Recovery Concepts and Fundamentals.

Examples of how this is done includes changing thoughts for people with criminal history's such as "Only my failures matter," to "I have hope even though its tougher with a record." Changing thoughts of "All probation officers are out to get me" to many of them want to help." Reduces Dichotomous thinking by encouraging the view that its not all black or white or one or the other, but that there are levels of growth on a continuum and a new start can be made at any time.

The programs also incorporate themes of Rational Emotive Therapy in the different events emphasized in each program. With more general distressing circumstances in the original RRPS, to more specific events such as educational neglect in RRPS -University, and the stigma of having a criminal record in RRPS -Liberation, to our beliefs about these issues, and the consequences for results of those beliefs.

The program also utilizes a wide variety of homework questions that are done outside of group (common of CBT programs) which reinforce the goals of the program. Each Passage that relates an experience based on a Concept or Fundamental usually focuses on a change in thinking that improves each outcome.

Here are some of the provided insights for the Fundamentals of Honesty, Trust, and Acceptance used in all of the programs.

Here are some passages for Honesty, Trust, and Acceptance from RRPS Liberation

Some questions related to honesty:

1. How Does the Passage Connect to Honesty or Resonate with You?

2. How easy or difficult do you find it to be honest with yourself about ways you have been hurt by others or have hurt others through your own actions? What is one experience that has led you to feel this way?

3. When sharing aspects of your experiences and struggles with others, how do you balance being honest while also feeling comfortable?

4. Have you ever found yourself blaming others for your own behavior or actions? How has this affected your ability to be honest with yourself and others?

Some questions related to trust:

1. How Does the Passage Connect to Trust or Resonate with You?

2. Have you ever felt like a system or authority figure had too much control over your life? How did that make you feel about trusting them?

3. How have your actual experiences with authority figures or systems affected your ability to trust?

4. Do you trust that with time and effort, anyone can overcome their past and achieve their dreams?

Some questions related to acceptance:

1. How Does the Passage Connect to Acceptance or Resonate with You?

2. What are your thoughts on accepting your past, and what steps have you taken to do so?

3. How can time be a gift when it comes to making up for past mistakes?

4. How does your experience with addiction or the criminal justice system relate to your understanding of acceptance?