The Challenge: Bridging the Gap Between Knowing and Doing
One of the biggest challenges in mental health and addiction treatment is helping clients use the skills they learn in therapy in their everyday lives.
A client can understand urge surfing perfectly at 10:00 in the morning during a group session and still forget about it, or simply not use it, when they're angry, lonely, bored, or craving at 8:30 that night.
And when things are going well, complacency can set in. People feel better, so they stop doing the very things that helped them get there.
The skills we're teaching aren't necessarily the problem. Many are well-established and effective. But we need to give more thought to how we help people remember, practice, and turn those skills into habits that fit their everyday lives.
The Foundations of Recovery Approach
Foundations of Recovery uses the Focus Frame and cards featuring brief, 60-second psychological exercises to make skill practice easier to access, remember, and repeat.
The frame creates a pause. The cards guide what to do during that pause. Keeping the selected card visible provides a reminder to use the skill throughout the day.
The approach draws on research involving micro-interventions, attention, habit development, and environmental reminders.
This isn't another curriculum to teach or a new treatment program to implement. It's designed to reinforce the work clinicians are already doing and help clients carry those skills beyond the therapy room.
The 106-page Practitioner Manual includes:
An introduction to the psychological principles and reasoning behind Focus Frame
Guidance for incorporating the approach into individual therapy, groups, IOP, PHP, and residential treatment
Detailed clinical guides for all 23 Foundations of Recovery cards with facilitations and clinical examples
Group facilitation guides, implementation tools, quick-reference materials, and printable worksheets
The manual supports various treatment approaches, including abstinence-based and harm reduction care.
Inside the Manual: Preview Pages and Resources
Note: The physical Focus Frame and Foundations of Recovery card deck are sold separately. The printed edition of the manual will be offered as a separate product.
Format: Digital PDF download
Includes: 106-page Practitioner Manual and printable worksheets and clinician resources for psychologists, therapists, and addiction treatment professionals.
Delivery: Digital files available after purchase