Harm Reduction & Care Access / GRP481
Health Appointment Preparation — Shared Pattern Map
Create a nonjudgmental agenda for discussing substance use and health concerns with a qualified professional.
25 minutes · 3–12 people · Adults with trained group facilitation
Facilitator PDF · Fillable participant PDF · Open activity / add to session
UNDERSTAND THE IDEA
Access and safety are practical parts of recovery.
A care option is useful only if a person can reach and use it. Cost, transport, documentation, discrimination, hours, disability, and trust can shape access. A group can identify a barrier and a question to ask without prescribing a single recovery pathway.
Facilitation lens: Separate information the group knows from information a service must verify. Use current qualified resources for medical or overdose-prevention instruction.
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 fears being judged during an appointment.
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 fears being judged during an appointment. Ask what is known, what is assumed, and what the person in the case wants.
Practice: Mapping — 11 minutes
Create a nonjudgmental agenda for discussing substance use and health concerns with a qualified professional. 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 would help the person ask the important questions? 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.