Long-Term Recovery & Life Transitions / GRP918
Anniversaries and Reminders — Scenario Card Exchange
Prepare an individualized support conversation about a meaningful date without assuming it will be distressing.
30 minutes · 3–12 people · Adults with trained group facilitation
Facilitator PDF · Fillable participant PDF · Open activity / add to session
UNDERSTAND THE IDEA
A new life transition may call for a revised support plan.
Work changes, caregiving, loss, relationships, health changes, and celebrations can alter routines and exposure to cues. Long-term recovery does not mean never needing help again. Revisiting support is an adaptation to context.
Facilitation lens: Compare what has changed with what previously helped. Include a practical check-in, a backup, and the person's chosen care pathway.
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 is unsure how an upcoming anniversary may feel.
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 is unsure how an upcoming anniversary may feel. Ask what is known, what is assumed, and what the person in the case wants.
Practice: Card sort — 16 minutes
Prepare an individualized support conversation about a meaningful date without assuming it will be distressing. Using only the fictional case, make cards for the goal, a contextual barrier, an available support, an alternative, and a possible next step. Sort them into what is known, what needs checking, and what requires outside help; discuss cards that can fit more than one place.
Reflect and compare — 4 minutes
What options can remain available? 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 card arrangement showing facts, questions, and support needs.
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.