We sat down with Marissa Sauer, Clinical Director of Avenues Recovery Center at Fort Wayne, to hear about the role that holistic wellness plays in addiction treatment and recovery.
Hi Marissa, and thanks for being here! What is holistic wellness, and what does it look like practically?
My pleasure! To me, holistic wellness means treating the whole person, and not just one of their facets. People are beautiful, complicated, and messy, and we need to help them heal on every level. We try to present them with as many options and opportunities as possible for them to create what they need to sustain a sober lifestyle going forward. We offer meditation, yoga, informal discussions, outside time in nature, a robust art therapy program… In short, we try to equip people with every tool they may need to create the sober lifestyle they want.
Tell me more about your art therapy program.
There is a big benefit to stimulating your creative side in general, but there is also a huge benefit to creating something tangible out of your experiences that you can see and feel and take with you. Art therapy shows our clients an internal picture of where they began and ended in their recovery journey.
I’ve also been inspired by how art therapy links to trauma. So many studies have shown that creative expression after a traumatic incident can help people vocalize what they have been through even if they were previously unable. They may not even be cognizant of what it is they are expressing! But it’s a powerful way to help clients work through whatever roadblocks they may be experiencing on the path to their sobriety.
What role does holistic wellness play in addiction treatment?
Holistic wellness is about treating each client as a whole person during treatment. What I love about Avenues Recovery, and specifically our clinical program, is that we address so many things for our clients. We don’t do cookie-cutter treatment! We offer them many opportunities to explore and find what speaks to them. Are they attracted to yoga? Meditation? Art? Nature? Horses? Music? It helps them re-frame – like, “Hey, I’ve never thought of doing this before!” The fact that we offer our client every alternative possible to discover what suits them best – that’s something I really appreciate about our treatment philosophy and model.
How does holistic wellness play into mental health in general?
It ties in very strongly.
I tell everyone I meet that practice, as with anything else, is really important. You don’t just walk into a gym one day and pick up a 100-pound weight! Similarly, you can’t enter our treatment program and not practice. We find what methods work best for our clients, and then help them incorporate that into their daily lives. But whatever it is you choose, you need to practice.
There’s great communication in our facility, so our staff constantly touch base with each other about each client’s needs. “This specific thing triggers him, but these breathing exercises work really well for him.” We work as a team to provide a seamless continuum of care, so we’re all practicing and reinforcing the same things with each client. Because we can’t just throw things at clients and expect them to stick!
What makes you passionate about holistic wellness?
I simply love the success stories we have. It’s so great to see people want something more in life, and have the hope and faith that it is possible. We recently received an email from a client who we transferred to ongoing PHP and IOP treatment in the Bucks location, and he attached a picture of him smiling with his horse during equine therapy. The subject line read: Show this to Jon and Marissa – Thank you for everything that you did! That was just so gratifying to see.
Helping people see the hope and the light that they know they’re capable of, but maybe they just don’t have anyone on their boat believing in them – it’s just so amazing. And being able to see that success as they go on is the most rewarding thing possible, and it’s what makes the tough days still so worthwhile. Because you know you’re not going to have a tough day every day.
Is there anything you wish people knew about holistic wellness?
We had an art show last year which showcased the work (art, song, poetry) of many of our current clients and alumni. It so clearly showed the journey, the progression of each person from utter darkness to light. Many of these people had begun their artistic expression at their lowest point (jail, hospital etc.), and seeing the difference from beginning to end was just astonishing. Art therapy is far more complex and multifaceted than most people realize. I wish people knew how intricate, powerful, and worthwhile a tool it is!
Whenever a therapist feels that they are stuck with a client, the first things I encourage are family therapy if possible, and artistic expression. It’s a powerful way to work through roadblocks without resorting to methods that clinicians are not typically trained in.
So yes, I wish people realized just how beautiful art therapy really is.