AWARENESS
Our national and localized training sessions offer an awareness around the problems associated with mental health disorders with a primary focus on substance use disorder and suicide prevention. These training sessions focus on the social, financial and quality of life impact for those members and their families who are affected and the options that are available to them.
SOLUTIONS
Once our local unions are aware of the scope of the problem, we turn the discussion to a solutions-based approach where interventions and treatment options are explored and local union insurance avenues are emphasized.
SUPPORT
Once our members enter a treatment path our SMART MAP mentors support those members throughout the process and assist in the most important part of this program — working toward long term recovery.
Our SMART MAP mentors are union members with high credibility within the local with strong interpersonal and attentive listening skills and who also have time and a natural desire to help others. These mentors will support our members when returning to work and assist with coordinating the member’s continuing care plan to sustain a successful continuation of their recovery.
Once our members complete their initial treatment, their re-integration back into their home and work lives can offer some steep obstacles. The therapeutic value of one union member understanding and helping another union member is without parallel. This important support is often the difference in relapse and/or the return to an unsuccessful and unhappy lifestyle.
Our SMART MAP mentors direct our members to additional resources and provide them with the positive support and reinforcement every member needs in the early stages of ongoing recovery such as 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), for those with substance abuse; and Al-Anon and Nar-Anon for friends and family members of those who are affected by someone else’s addiction.