WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A SOBER COMPANION
Clients reach us for sober coaching through a wide variety of means: sometimes, the client doesn’t approach us at all; calls can come to us from business associates, personal managers, family members, attorneys, therapists, medical doctors, treatment centers, sober living houses, assisted living facilities, etc.
Regardless of the first contact, the initial step of the Sober Coach is to meet with the client, in person, in whatever setting is most comfortable for the client. We do an initial evaluation; this includes standard sets of questions (i.e. overall medical history, medical & psychological diagnoses, drug/alcohol history, etc.). We will do a standard physical exam, as well (blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, etc.). If the client is willing, we will take a sample for drug screening. If the client not willing, we will skip this step – but it must be done sooner rather than later. We also explore areas of concern specific to the client (profession, family, religion, spirituality, etc.).
With the client’s permission, the Sober Coach will contact treatment professionals who may already be providing services to the client. The more informed we are about all aspects of your case, the more efficient we become at providing the services you require to facilitate your recovery – or to simply help you stay away from drinking & drugs for a pre-determined period of time.
After the client evaluation session, we will create a treatment plan tailored to the client’s needs. Typically, we meet with a client 3 times per week for one-hour sessions, (frequency & length of sessions are evaluated monthly and/or bi-monthly). Meeting locations will vary depending on where the client is in their recovery, and what the person is currently working on. In addition, the sober companion is on-call by phone 24 hours a day, 5 to 7 days a week. This service alone can help prevent relapses and supports individuals with crises that come up in between sessions.
We easily blend Sober Coaching with Sober Companionship. In this mode, the Sober Coach retains certain primary responsibilities (e.g., case management) and the Sober Companion will remain with the client for predetermined lengths of time: from 4-hour periods up to many weeks in a row. Different clients have different levels of need, and a professional Sober Coach is ready to address any area, for any amount of time, in order to help a client achieve his/her goals.
If you need a Sober Escort to transport yourself or a loved one to or from a treatment facility or any other location, we will assign an Escort appropriate to the needs of the client. In some cases, you may require medically supervised transportation; in such a case, we will assign either an MD or an RN (Nurse Practitioner) to travel along with the Sober Escort. In other cases, a client will not leave willingly – for these rare situations, we arrive with Team Sober Champion, a multi-person party designed to extricate the client from an unhealthy location and deliver him or her to treatment.
When caring professionals already are involved, we can interface with them to create a truly holistic approach toward treating the client.
