Member Assistance Program

We work with SMART to provide its Member Assistance Program (MAP) and offer the awareness and action program highlighting issues associated with mental health, substance use disorder and suicide prevention. Those who attend SMART MAP program sessions learn about each issue and how to take action, empowering them to help fellow SMART members and their families access resources when they need them the most.

SMART MAP attendees who become SMART MAP mentors are compassionate, empathetic and well-respected union members who, together with experts in the field of mental health, support our members throughout the recovery process.

Upcoming Classes

Comradery is not only the core of SMART MAP, it’s the key to its success. With disarming empathy, facilitators, led by Chris Carlough, SMART’s Director of Wellness and Mental Health Support, cover difficult topics, theoretical knowledge, and practical experience. Hands-on training helps participants develop the basic skills necessary for crisis intervention support.

SMART MAP focuses on three essential treatment aspects for the mental health of our members and their families: awareness, resources, and peer support.

AWARENESS

Our national and localized sessions offer a broader awareness of the problems associated with mental health disorders, from depression to substance use disorder and suicide prevention. These sessions focus on the social, financial, and quality-of-life impact for affected members and their families and the options available to them.

RESOURCES

Mental health issues can be complex, so having the very best professional resources for our members is vital. We discuss the problems associated with substandard drug and alcohol treatment centers, identify good evidence-based treatment, and highlight SMOHIT’s Preferred Providers treatment centers from around the country. We also examine the value of quality employee assistance programs (EAPs) and the importance of various 12-step support programs.

PEER SUPPORT

SMART MAP mentors are well-respected local union members with strong communication skills who have the time and natural desire to help others. When one union member helps another, it cultivates a powerful peer support network. SMART MAP mentors listen to and support their brothers and sisters throughout their journeys with compassion and empathy, providing guidance toward long-term recovery.

Our SMART MAP mentors gain the skills necessary to help support our members as they return to work and assist with coordinating the member’s continuing care plan to sustain a successful continuation of their recovery.

Once our members complete initial treatment, their reintegration back into home and work life can offer some steep obstacles. Our SMART MAP peer mentors provide a helping hand and an empathetic ear to support those in need as they overcome some of the most difficult life challenges.

Our SMART MAP mentors direct our members to additional resources and provide them with positive support and guidance during the early stages of recovery, such as 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), for those with substance abuse; and Al-Anon/Alateen and Nar-Anon for family members and friends of those affected by addiction.