MORE THAN THERAPYTHE RESOURCE LIBRARY

Recovery Engagement & Motivation / GRP326

Asking before Advice — Shared Pattern Map

Practice asking whether reflection, information, or ideas are wanted before responding to a concern.

25 minutes · 3–12 people · Adults with trained group facilitation

Facilitator PDF · Fillable participant PDF · Open activity / add to session

UNDERSTAND THE IDEA

A recovery aim needs to belong to the person.

External referrals and internal goals may differ. Exploring what the person wants life to make possible can open a more useful conversation than demanding agreement with a treatment label. Uncertainty is allowed, and a small step may be the appropriate focus.

Facilitation lens: Ask what the person values, what the current pattern provides, and what they would choose to explore. Reflect before suggesting.

Explore the conceptual background · Broad background, not validation of this original exercise.

Try a different interactive experience in the Activity Lab →

Fictional example

A member says a routine feels hard to change.

Open with choice — 3 minutes

Explain the purpose, privacy limits, and the option to observe, use fiction, adapt, or pass. Check access needs and group readiness; do not promise absolute confidentiality.

Meet the fictional case — 4 minutes

A member says a routine feels hard to change. Ask what is known, what is assumed, and what the person in the case wants.

Practice: Mapping — 11 minutes

Practice asking whether reflection, information, or ideas are wanted before responding to a concern. Each person privately maps the fictional case. Offer optional contributions to a shared map, then compare where context, access, and support change the picture. Do not interpret another person's map.

Reflect and compare — 4 minutes

What response preserves the speaker's agency? Ask what fits, what does not, and what external conditions or supports affect the options. No personal disclosure is required.

Close and integrate — 3 minutes

Invite an optional observation, support request, or small next step. Passing is welcome. Agree how to revisit questions and seek appropriate help outside the exercise.

Practice output

A map with at least two possible support or choice points.

Scope and adaptation

Use ordinary or fictional examples, not graphic substance-use stories or cue exposure. No competitive abstinence scoring, forced disclosure, or required pathway. These plans do not manage intoxication, overdose, withdrawal, or medication changes; follow individualized care and appropriate medical assessment.

Offer reading aloud, typing, drawing, pointing, or observation. Avoid mandatory movement, eye contact, touch, and body focus.

Original AI-assisted educational draft; independent clinical review pending.

Conceptual background

References inform broad principles and do not validate or endorse this original plan.