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Acronyms for Mental Health Recovery
Instructor: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes
Executive Director: AllCEUs Counselor Continuing Education
Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox and Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery

CEUs are available for this presentation at  https://allceus.com/member/cart/index/search?q=acronyms

Objectives
~ Review some quick tips and tools to help people better manage their emotions
~ Explore why each concept is necessary in recovery
~ Identify ways to use each acronym to form the foundation for a group (or homework)
Fear
FEAR
~ False
~ Expectations
~ Appearing
~ Real
FEAR
~ Face
~ Everything
~ And
~ Recover

~ Emotional vs. Factual Reasoning
~ Facts for and against

 

Halt
HALT
~ Hungry
~ Angry
~ Lonely
~ Tired
HALT
~ Honesty (Mindfulness)
~ Acceptance
~ Loving (Compassion)
~ Tolerance

FINE
FINE
~ Freaked out
~ Insecure
~ Neurotic
~ Empty
FINE
~ Faithful
~ Involved
~ Nimble
~ Experienced

Ego-Driven vs. Purpose Driven
EGO
~ Edging
~ God (Good Orderly Direction)
~ Out
PURPOSE
~ Present-Focus
~ Understand what you need
~ Review your goals
~ Purposeful action (choose)
~ Observe the effects
~ Seek support
~ Evaluate
Handling Urges
URGE
~ Unpleasant
~ Reactive
~ Gravitate
~ Extreme
THINK
~ Thoughtful
~ Honest
~ Intelligent
~ Necessary
~ Kind
Mindfulness: RAID & SCAN
~ Recognize
~ Allow/Accept
~ Investigate
~ Decide how to improve the next moment

 

~ Survey
~ Compassion
~ Awareness
~ Needs

Distress Tolerance: ACCEPTS
~ Activities
~ Contributing
~ Comparisons
~ Emotions (Opposite)
~ Pushing Away
~ Thoughts (Happy)
~ Sensations

Distress Tolerance: IMPROVE
~ Imagery
~ Meaning
~ Prayer
~ Relaxation
~ One thing at a time
~ Vacation
~ Encouragement

Sleep: SHADES
~ Sleep routine
~ Hydration
~ Alcohol & Antihistamines (eliminate)
~ Darkness
~ Ergonomics
~ Stimulants (eliminate)

Relaxation: RELAX
~ Recreate
~ Exercise
~ Laugh
~ Attitude adjustment
~ eXplore new hobbies, interests and places
Self-Esteem: SELF
~ Strengths
~ Encouragement
~ Love
~ Friendship
Relationships: FAVOR
~ Fair
~ Aware of each person’s perspectives and needs
~ Validate
~ Opportunity (Compromise)
~ Respect
Communication: LOUD
~ Listen
~ Observe
~ Understand
~ Describe

 

Summary
~ Each of these acronyms can be used to increase awareness, trigger the use of new skills and reduce stress
~ To use these in group
~ Choose an acronym
~ Explore why that concept is important in recovery
~ Have clients identify how they operationalize or define each term
~ Create an infographic for each