Ladies and Gentleman, the class of 2020
As people enter Progress they are invited to join SRP. The Structured Recovery Programme (SRP) is a closed therapeutic group work programme which is currently delivered over 24 sessions twice a week. The programme requires extended commitment and a willingness to to participate in what, at times, can be challenging sessions.
6 individuals completed the programme in February 2020. A graduation ceremony took place at Progress attended by participants, family members and friends, staff and volunteers.
“Some people see group work as the group members come with lots of questions and the facilitator answers them. My take on that is the facilitator brings the questions and the group come up with the answers collectively.” – Sam Broadley, SRP Group Facilitator
This group introduces people to a range of different approaches and techniques to help maintain recovery. This includes cognitive behavioural therapy which many people find helpful in relation to recovery from drugs and / or alcohol. This group is aimed at people who are stable in recovery and committed to making long term positive changes.
…at the ceremony those graduating spoke of the impact taking part had had on their lives: 
“On first meeting I was met by a lost, frustrated, very self-critical individual who was reaching out for help.
He showed commitment to the group and was willing to question his life choices and past decisions. He could be self-effacing, always polite and understanding of others with a nurturing attitude.
All our journeys have ups and down but we all have a commitment to ourselves and to others to succeed. This is down to hard work, self-awareness and our newly learnt skills. It is a forever process which we all recognise as not a one-size-fits-all.
He can do it. Believe.”
Although the main aim of the group is to enable people to make and sustain positive changes in relation to their drug and alcohol use the sessions cover a range of topics in order to facilitate this.
The programme is delivered as a closed group in order to take all the members through the process together enabling greater trust, honesty and willingness to challenge and support each other appropriately.
Each member of the group gave feedback on another participent;
“For the past 3 months K has shared, shown so much strength, honesty and determination within the group. Her knowledge and insights have been a huge inspiration to myself and also, I feel, to us all.
I have nothing but confidence in her for her future.
The thing about K I think I admire the most is her natural motivation for things to be right. It’s one of the greatest characteristics for us all to have because all you can do in this life is your best.
You’ve done that, now you can stand up and say, “This is me”.”
For those who complete the programme in order to acknowledge and celebrate the changes the group members have made.
“A while ago I started to write something which turned out to be a poem. It’s something that evolved, it wasn’t that I set out to write anything, I just started to write something.
It’s called ‘It Hides’
They told me you’d be coming, that one day soon I’d feel, a haunting suffocating blackness that I’d try hard to conceal. A constant mental agony of a throbbing, itching pain, despair that follows every path I take that won’t restrain.
This image of a Black Dog that can hold me down with fear, I deeply sad regret of haunting howling in my ear. I dare not ask if you can hear the growl of what has been, the sadness and the memories of all that I have seen.
It brought the Black Dog calling, among the silent walls, and it sniffed out all the heartache and all meaning there to fall With no hope or resilience, the Black Dog finds my soul, and leans upon my heavy heart and breaks what once was whole.
The Black Dog sits beside me know, he has strength but can obey, I can be his master or I can be his prey. The test is just beginning, the fight will now begin, With just us two competing I question who will win.
Take off the mask you wear now, throw off the dog’s disguise, stand amongst your dearest, look it in the eyes. The Black Dog cannot win when the Black Dog cannot hide, introduce your Black Dog to the army by your side.”
To those who graduated from SRP, from all at Project 6, a huge congratulations.