Returning Home

This community reintegration and reentry program is for participants leaving residential and correctional programs. With more than two dozen different workbooks, these resources can provide more than 120 program sessions and provide a strong transition for community reintegration. They include workbooks and lessons which address the critical issues in making the transition back to the community. They address important reintegration issues in planning for a good life, key recovery topics after reentry, and provide guidance for dealing with family and friends. Organizations and facilities can select from a wide range of options to address specific program needs. Materials are easy to implement and supervise, and cost-effective using the "site license" arrangement (a one-time cost). All materials include behaviorally-stated objectives and lesson plans for instructors, and are written at a grade 5-7 level.

Useful in drug court and diversion programs, community programs, and life skills programs. A Spanish-language Returning Home program package is also available.

Specific Program Resources

Part of our comprehensive workbook series, these resources are tailored by age and gender. Reintegration programming materials can be tailored to an age- and gender-specific treatment curriculum, including adult males, adult females, juvenile males, and juvenile females.

RH1	Your first few days	This workbook addresses the issues involved in the first critical days of transition, including common problems and stresses, and planning for safe activities after reentry. Includes situation cards for role playing and modeling successful coping for reintegration.	5
RH2	Dealing with people in new ways	Helps participants identify what they can do differently if the "old ways" didn’t work, including temptations and reintegration/reentry issues with family, friends, and community that may stand in the way of a successful transition. A set of situation cards for group discussion is provided.	5
RH3	Dealing with discomfort	This workbook identifies and addresses common feelings experienced during the transition period (after reintegration/reentry). Activities identify issues and ask participants to demonstrate how they plan to handle these concerns. This information can be used by counselors to identify effective — and ineffective — responses. When possible, the "trouble spots" can be addressed individually or in group setting, and a more effective response developed.	5
RH4	Facing your responsibilities	This workbook identifies and addresses common responsibilities faced upon transition. Exercises list the most important responsibilities, and ask participants to identify how they will meet each area of responsibility. The responses can be shared and evaluated in individual or group settings.	5
RH5	If you lapse	This workbook addresses the issues of "lapses" and "relapse" and helps to prepare participants to handle high risk situations by knowing common problems and having confidence in their ability to cope more effectively. A "slip," or having fantasies of use, does not need to lead to a "fall." This workbook provides tools for addressing common slips and reviews two critical coping skills. A set of situation cards for group discussion is provided.	5
RH6	Making positive steps to take control of your life	Develops a detailed plan for the use of a post-release "safety net" and recovery activities. It guides the process of identification and selection of friends and community resources to assist in the transition. Additionally, it identifies and addresses the high risk factors these people will need to know in order to help.	5
RH7	Avoiding the negative	This workbook provides specific help in maintaining recovery through developing a plan to identify and avoid the highest risks. It is based on the concept of using "environmental controls" to avoid the people, places, things, and situations which pose the greatest threat to recovery. It provides participants and program staff with the tools to help address specific vulnerabilities.	5
RH8	Practice in handling difficult situations	This workbook will help participants identify — and develop solutions for — common difficult situations encountered during the transition. Exercises identify specific concerns, and a set of situation cards of commonly-encountered problems is provided for group discussion. Problem areas can be used as discussion and learning points to help individuals develop confidence that they can handle these situations appropriately when they face them again.	4
RH9	Avoiding problems with authority	This workbook addresses issues involved in dealing with authority figures and helps participants understand the nature of their anger, hurt, and resentment — and the ways in which they may create more problems for themselves. It offers specific suggestions for dealing with potential conflicts with authority figures, and a template for evaluating responses to typical situations. Situation cards provide opportunities for modeling appropriate responses.	4
RH10	Avoiding trouble (when you are with others)	Peer pressure and poor choices often lead to trouble. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong people, is a common explanation for failure. This workbook identifies common problems and solutions, and provides twenty typical situations for role-playing and demonstration of effective coping skills.	4
RH11/AM1	Handling Tough Situations	An Action Maze Workbook — provides participants with decision making opportunities dealing with common temptations and problems (people, places, things, situations, and their own thoughts).	4
RH12	Safety Nets	This workbook guides clients to identify and address early warning signs that they are at increasing risk to fall back into old (negative) behavior patterns.	2
RH13	Red flags	Short workbook helps participants identify and plan to address the symptoms and cues that they are moving closer to their highest risk situations. This is a key step toward self-efficacy.	4
RH14	Getting close to getting out	Designed for the last few weeks before going home, this workbook addresses common thoughts, feelings, and temptations, including typical anxieties and worries.	2
RH15	How are you doing?	How far have you come?	1
		Controlling your impulses	1
		Setting yourself up	1
		Recovery activities planning	1
RH21/PS2	Problem Solving 1-2-3	Using basic problem solving model, presents 54 community and home problem situations experienced by people in transition and/or recovery.	9
RH22/CS7	Making long-term changes	Practical and comprehensive post-release and relapse prevention plan. This workbook is designed to identify and address issues and responsibilities facing individual participants.	10
RH23/CS8	Identifying and addressing your highest risks	Identification of personal highest risk factors with specific coping skills to be used and demonstration of competence (self-efficacy) in addressing risks for relapse. Special emphasis is placed on the transition to the community.	10
RH24/PS3	Self-efficacy and problem solving	This short workbook summarizes the key coping or avoidance/escape strategies used by clients for their highest risk situations. (key self-efficacy summary activity)	3
RH25/DP8	Key elements of change	This workbook provides a comprehensive overview of personal change from substance abuse. It includes elements of motivational enhancement therapy (MET) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), as well as analysis of risk factors, the development of key coping and refusal skills, and the development of a safety net. To build increased self-efficacy, we suggest supplementing it with workbooks from the RH series (i.e. RH11, 12, 13, 17, 21, 22, 23,or 24). Also suitable for review and aftercare programs.	12
RH26/CS10	Reducing your risk	Basic risk reduction workbook, addresses highest risk situations, warning signs, high risk feelings leading to relapse, and provides coping skills guidelines.	2 to 3

Supplemental Material

In addition to the above, a program might be rounded out by the following materials:

• Coping skills for emergencies (CS1)
• Techniques for use when you are at greatest risk (CS2)
• Review of relapse prevention plans (PT8)
• Handling the tough times (TT)
• Making good use of your leisure time (LT)
• Managing your money (MM)