green hill recovery Archives - Page 2 of 3

Green Hill Throws Support Behind North Carolina’s Largest Addiction Professionals Network

Posted on August 9, 2020 - 9:22 pm by Green Hill Recovery

Combatting the substance use disorder epidemic through community partnerships.

8/10/2020, Raleigh, NC – Green Hill has become Addiction Professionals of North Carolina’s (APNC) newest organizational member. APNC is North Carolina’s leading professional development organization in the substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery field. As a member organization, Green Hill supports APNC’s mission of empowering professionals focused on prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery through providing education, training, and networking opportunities throughout the state.

Tripp Johnson, CEO of Green Hill, is proud to be joining APNC. “This is a tough, often thankless, line of work. Professionals in the addiction field are often overwhelmed, under resourced, and siloed. We joined APNC because we believe that community partnerships, training, and education are paramount if we want to combat the growing epidemic of mental health and substance use disorders.”

APNC represents the interests of over 16,000 addiction professionals throughout North Carolina by providing advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. Green Hill believes that in supporting APNC, it can help in the following ways.

Support a thriving community of professionals through education and training.
Advocate for legislative change to support individuals battling addiction.
Encourage innovation and collaboration in the field.
Increase access, quality, and affordability of prevention, treatment, and recovery resources.

Green Hill and APNC are dedicated to bettering the lives of North Carolinians struggling with substance use disorders. Stay tuned for an announcement about APNC’s upcoming fall conference where Green Hill’s CEO, Tripp Johnson, will be presenting.

About Green Hill: Green Hill is a nationally recognized treatment provider for young adults grappling with substance use and other co-occurring mental health disorders. Green Hill prepares clients for success beyond their days in treatment through sophisticated addiction, mental health, and executive functioning treatment; intentional community integration, experiential, and wellness offerings; and individualized academic, career, and personal growth curriculum. At its core, Green Hill empowers individuals to live with profound purpose.

About APNC: Addiction Professionals of North Carolina (APNC) empowers our prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery professionals to thrive in an evolving continuum of care.

To learn more about APNC, click here.

Podcast: Nick Slovak Talks Academics & Recovery on “Success is Subjective”

Posted on July 29, 2020 - 7:15 pm by Green Hill Recovery

Recovery-based sober living program, Raleigh, NC

Our Executive Director Nick Slovak recently appeared on the Success is Subjective podcast, hosted by our good friend and frequent collaborator, Joanna Lilley.

On this episode, Joanna and Nick discuss a broad range of recovery and educational topics, including how life is rarely a linear line from A to B, navigating college transfers, the difference between sobriety and recovery, and why extended care matters.

Stream the podcast episode directly by clicking below or check out the podcast page on Stitcher.

Meet Our Primary Therapist: Emily Trapp

Posted on July 21, 2020 - 8:28 pm by Green Hill Recovery

Could we get some brief biographical info from you? Hometown, previous experience, education, etc.?

Originally, I was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, however, shortly after we moved to Williamsport, PA, which is where I would say my childhood took place. I have lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and several places around North Carolina, everywhere from the Outer Banks to Raleigh.

I grew up in a very medically inclined family. Both of my parents were Physician’s Assistants. As a kid, I watched Discovery Health for hours on end and some of my favorite toys included a medical cart with all the accessories. Growing up, I fell in love with animals, and always imagined being a veterinarian. I ended up going to North Carolina State University for the undecided track, but was really shooting for vet school.

In my first year, I spent a day shadowing a large animal vet. I ended up realizing that though I thoroughly enjoyed the job, it didn’t seem right for a long-term career. In one of my classes, we had a project in which we had to interview someone in a career that interested us. Aware that being a Veterinarian was now out, I decided to interview a psychologist. Often in my life, I found myself offering my ear to friends and was always the one people called when in crisis, so I thought, why not give it a shot? One conversation and I was sold. I transitioned to a psychology degree and started focusing on working with at-risk youth.

Following graduation, I (like a lot of people) found myself having a difficult time. I felt like I lost my path. I did, however, know that I always felt safe in school, so with the encouragement of my mother, I started applying to any psychology-related programs in the area. I applied to Eastern Carolina University’s Marriage and Family Therapy program, where I was accepted. During my time in graduate school, one of the faculty picked up on my interest in at-risk youth and addiction and connected me with the Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center. I completely fell in love with the work there and found that finally, I was finding my path again.

I ended up doing my internship at Walter B. Jones while completing my program and thesis. While completing my LCASA I continued to work at Walter B. Jones, but really felt called to return to Raleigh. I initially took a position at Triangle Springs as a therapist before finding a home at Green Hill Recovery.

What made you want to work in a) the clinical field generally and b) substance abuse specifically?

I decided to get into clinical work after deciding taking care of animals all day was not what I wanted to do professionally. I get enough of taking care of animals at home! I started my graduate program with no specific focus but always had an underlying drive to work with at-risk adolescents. Interestingly enough, I began with a fascination in teen pregnancy and worked my way into addiction.

I tell everyone, “I wish I had a cool story but I really don’t.” I did have enough self-awareness to know I would need some guidance, and I created a great relationship with one of the faculty, who listened to my interests and continued to encourage me to work with Walter B. Jones.

From there, I not only loved what I was doing and what I was learning, but I truly valued the relationship between my internship supervisor and what he taught me. Mr. Tart was one role model that I will hold close to my heart forever. Throughout my time at Walter B. Jones, I found that it was less about what I was teaching the patients than what they were teaching me.

What do you believe makes Green Hill stand out in its field, and why?

Green Hill is truly, like I mentioned earlier, home. I have never worked with an entire team that cares so deeply and passionately about not only what they do, but those they work with. I think that’s what makes it so special. Treatment and therapy all begin with the relationships one builds with those they are working with.

I believe our team is so in-tune with not only what our vision is as a program, but with what our client’s vision is for their future. We have such a unique team of people ranging from academic consultants to therapists to creativity to businesspeople. Somehow, we manage to use our strengths to come together to create a safe and encouraging place for our clients to dive into their own self-efficacy.

What’s one memory you’ll always take with you from your time here in Green Hill?

Absolutely our very first Iron Chef challenge at the Transitional Living house. This was one of the first activities we wanted to do during the coronavirus pandemic, and it ended up being fun for everyone.

Somehow, I was voted as a chef (not proud to admit it, but I totally used the “I have a session” excuse to try to get out of it). It was the ‘Apocalypse version’, so our recipes for the Iron Chef challenge included things like spam, ramen noodles, pasta, beef jerky, etc.

It was rough, but our guys were so creative and there ended up being some dishes that were actually delicious.

What makes Raleigh an ideal environment for young people in recovery?

Raleigh is an amazing place that encompasses everything any young adult, especially one in recovery, could desire. I love that you can easily access both the beaches and mountains. Raleigh is host to many wonderful colleges that encourage young adults to keep shooting for the moon. Raleigh also offers so many community life options, it allows people to find their own community.

What does your ideal day look like?

Anything outside! Ideally, it would be sunny and 75. I would wake up early and head to the barn to ride my horse, Mikey. I’d give him all the sour patch kids his little (big) heart desires before heading home to get ready for the beach. A perfect day for me is a day at the beach with family, friends and a good book before having a big communal dinner and talking about all the embarrassing moments from childhood.

Can you name one female role model you have, and what that person has had such an impact?

In my personal life, I would absolutely have to say my mother. As a single mother in the medical field, she has shown me what being an independent, caring, driven woman means.

Additionally, from the time I was a child, I have always admired surfer Bethany Hamilton. I’ve admired her for her worth ethic, passion, drive, ambition and courageous demeanor. She is a person who has not let her circumstances compromise her ability to work toward her dreams. She has proved time and time again that with some effort and courage, anything is possible. One of the main reasons why I admire her is that even as one of the best, she has been vulnerable enough to share about her experiences of loss, defeat and difficulty.

Quick facts about Emily

Undergraduate school: NC State University, GO PACK!

Graduate school: East Carolina University, GO PIRATES!

Desert island movie: Cast Away

Favorite book: Hmmm, the childhood book is probably Because of Winn Dixie. My tearjerker would have to be The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Favorite podcast: Up and Vanished or Cold or Yoga Girl: Conversations from the Heart.

Favorite sports team: ECU Pirates

Favorite spot to visit in Raleigh: Umstead Park, I love to take my dog for walks there.

Dream job as a child: Probably an orthopedist for a while before wanting to be a veterinarian.

Photo Finish: A Passion Project Story

Posted on July 6, 2020 - 9:29 pm by Green Hill Recovery

A Maryland native with supportive parents, Matt’s life seemed to have all the ingredients for success. Unfortunately, experimentation with drugs at age 16 led to a long and costly battle with substance use disorder (SUD). Eventually arriving at Green Hill via another treatment program, Matt was reintroduced to an interest he thought he’d left behind.

Initially introduced to photography in a high school class, any passions Matt might have had fell by the wayside as his addiction deepened. “In my active addiction, I knew no passion or ambition,” says Matt. “These were entirely foreign concepts to me. The idea people could love doing something with no ulterior motives or have the energy and attitude to pursue something they loved seemed preposterous.”

Matt’s potential skills in photography were spotted early on by Program Facilitator and in-house photographer, Caleb Barnhart. Caleb, as part of our Passion Project initiative, coordinated with the rest of the Green Hill programming staff and Matt’s parents to help foster Matt’s interest. Giving him weekly assignments in a variety of formats, making equipment recommendations and taking him to interesting locations to shoot, Caleb’s hard work and dedication turned Matt’s passing interest into a true passion.

“Caleb has done more than I ever expected,” says Matt. “His advice is often interchangeable between photography and living sober. He’s shown me that life has so much more to offer than getting high everyday, to the point where my previous need to find enjoyment in substances seems laughable.”

More than just a hobby, Matt’s passion for photography has added an extra dimension to our programming opportunities. Whether it’s a trip to the skate park, a day trip to the Eno River or any of our many outdoor athletic activities, Matt can often be found posing residents, capturing the action on his camera, and giving friends tips and tricks to better capture images for their social media accounts.

It’s not unusual for staff to find Matt constructing a lightbox or editing images on his computer in his free time. Matt’s passion and dedication to a creative activity have inspired not just residents, but programming staff as well to more constructively use the time they’ve gained through freedom from substance use.

Perhaps most exciting of all, Matt’s photographs have gained acclaim not just from our own community, but businesses and institutions in the area. The North Carolina Museum of History, upon seeing an image Matt shot of residents there, asked to utilize the photo for their own social media marketing. Most recently, Matt has landed his first paying gig as a photographer, shooting menu items for an up-and-coming North Carolina-based restaurant franchise.

Whether it remains simply a healthy pastime or develops into a full-fledged career, at Green Hill, we’re simply proud to have been a small part of this man finding himself in something other than damaging behaviors. It’s our sincere hope that through clinical support, our programming staff and the Passion Project initiative, every participant in the Green Hill Model of recovery can ultimately reorient themselves down a healthier, more holistic path of passion and service.

Click here for more information about the Passion Projects initiative at Green Hill.

Green Hill’s Why: A Look at What Inspires Us

Posted on June 23, 2020 - 4:24 pm by Green Hill Recovery

The most powerful question an organization can answer is why.

Why did we start this company? Why do we serve the people we serve? Why do we get out of bed each morning to do this? Most companies are attempting to solve some problem in our world. These problems can be as large as world hunger, or as small as getting the most out of a toothpaste tube.

The problem a company sets out to solve is most closely linked to their why statement. The Golden Circle model, popularized by Simon Sinek in Start with Why, argues that we must analyze the What, How, & Why of an organization. In this post, we will use this framework to explain why we do what we do, and why it is so critical.

The Problem

The statistics on substance-use disorder (SUD) and the opioid epidemic are grim. The population it is impacting continues to get younger, and the small percentage of people that are attending treatment are entering a system that simply isn’t working. From any angle you analyze this, the current treatment model has flaws.

Here are a few of the more alarming numbers:

Treatment in many cases is either not affordable, not accessible, or not high enough quality to fix this problem. Studies increasingly show that length in treatment dramatically decreases the percentage of relapse, and a more deliberate and meaningful transition back to “normal life” is essential in recovery.

Let’s be very clear, addiction is a costly, dangerous, and growing problem in America that every treatment center is trying to solve. What we’ve learned is that this is more closely associated with the what (we do) instead of the why (we do it). We had to look deeper within our organization and ourselves.

This problem hits home and is a personal one for Green Hill’s owners, Tripp and Jake. Their initial bond was formed during their time at West Point and largely centered around drinking. In his early twenties, Jake struggled to find his academic footing after alcoholism interrupted his college career. He learned that by committing himself each day to building a strong foundation, success in recovery, school, and professional life was possible.

For Tripp, it wasn’t until he returned from a deployment to Afghanistan that he took a serious look at the direction of his life and his substance use. Tripp soon committed to self-inquiry and personal development mainly through the daily practices of meditation and yoga which have allowed him to live a confident, grounded life while pursuing his dreams.

Jake and Tripp have learned through experience that a successful recovery and life are possible when one takes intentional steps on the paths of self-discovery and personal development.

What, How, & Why

Green Hill offers clinically-driven transitional living and outpatient programs for emerging adults in early recovery. Founded in 2017, Green Hill serves young men in early recovery from across the nation. Our curriculum focuses on academic, career, and life skills specifically designed to help prepare emerging adults for wellness beyond treatment. Our program helps residents discover their core values, empowers them to take ownership of their own recovery, and connects them with their sense of purpose and the broader community.

During the first few years of Green Hill’s existence, we focused almost exclusively on the what (we do). Green Hill’s what consists of clinical and executive functioning modules, academic lessons, and activities facilitated by our front line team.

Our what is in essence the various activities and programs our clients undertake during the course of their time with us. Our mission was to help change lives, and our program was accomplishing just that, so we stayed the course.

Towards the end of 2019, we started to take a step back to really take a look at the how (we do it well). Our core processes, our policies and procedures, and our training schedule. How is the thing that makes an organization sustainable. The how level was the first major leap in making our organization robust and sustainable. We figured out what we did really well and how to replicate it.

It wasn’t until 2020 that we realized a clearly articulated why (we do it) was largely missing from our Green Hill brand, company materials, and communications. As individuals, we all know more or less why we chose to work at Green Hill and why the company mission matters. However, there was never enough emphasis on putting words to the backdrop (the context) on which all of our efforts occur. Green Hill exists to empower young adults to build better lives: we give our clients what they need to experience true flourishing.

**So, about that ‘*why’?***

We have come to discover that our why is more of a reflection of our views of treatment models. Our long-term vision is to continue to develop a new approach to treatment, which will be the Green Hill Model. We are tired of seeing our friends, siblings, parents, and children go off to treatment and come back without a foundation for a life in sobriety.

Too many times in our experience does treatment seem like a break from addiction rather than the foundation for a new meaningful life. In our view, we exist to bring passion, energy, and a new perspective to addiction treatment. We hope to serve as pioneers and innovators in this field, and to make gradual shifts in how we approach care and measure outcomes.

What is the Green Hill Model?

Our model is based on a very simple assumption. One must replace a life of addiction with a more desirable life in recovery. Individuals in active addiction are passionate people. The passion we had for getting high and drunk would have made us zealots in another context. Our entire lives revolved around our addictions, and substances were the gravitational center of our universe. Every part of our lives existed to help meet our desire to continue using.

It pains us to say this, but it is an important admission. You may not be an expert in the SUD field, but in a simple sense, does this sound like a change that takes less than 30 days? Most treatment models start and end with the 30-day inpatient program, known as “rehab”.

This analogy may seem dramatic, but it is important. We have to create a new more and powerful gravitational center to our lives in recovery. Oftentimes, it is the notion of recovery itself that becomes that passion. Working in the field, helping others, making amends. What we use as our new center is not as important as the acknowledgement that the void we are attempting to fill is that large. Our entire program is built around this.

Problem Solvers

So what are the primary problems the Green Hill Model solves? Individualized care, gradual transition, and foundational focus.

Individualized Care:

Many programs say they provide individualized care. What that generally means is that they take the individual mental health situations into account while providing a more broad based substance-use disorder treatment plan. The Green Hill Model expands this individualized approach to life.

Discovering what makes you happy and what you want to do with the rest of your life is a foundational element of our curriculum. Finding a passion project, resuming academic studies, or starting a career are all unique to the individual, and an important part of filling this void created by leaving our addiction behind.

Gradual Transition:

As our Development Director talked about in our post Recovery Isn’t Linear, we believe that life and recovery are a series of successes and setbacks. Our curriculum lets individuals transition from treatment to a fulfilling life in a deliberately slow way. It always amazes us to see this in action with our clients. Some clients will come to Green Hill dead set on pursuing a particular path, only to discover three to six months later that they really want to do something else entirely.

You would be blown away at the number of would be accountants or lawyers that go back to school to become therapists after entering recovery. Taking your time and building space for curiosity, self discovery, and mistakes is a part of our curriculum. We acknowledge that this is not an overnight fix.

This Isn’t Summer Camp:

An unfortunate truth about this field is that many treatment centers substitute fun for progress. While learning how to have fun in recovery is necessary, it does not solve the problem. Fun is a temporary solution in the same way alcohol and drugs were.

We love when our residents have fun, we encourage it in programs like our Passion Projects initiative, but we have not built our entire program around it. We spend our clinical hours tackling foundational elements of a fulfilling and successful life in recovery. Treatment is not summer camp, and we cannot treat it as such. We are making an investment in a sustainable lifelong future in sobriety.

Where We Go From Here

These are only a few of the problems Green Hill solves, but any treatment program that focuses on building a lifelong foundation for a meaningful life is a compelling solution to the problems this field faces. We urge other programs to take a step back and look at why they are in this field instead of what they do on a day to day basis.

If you are a treatment / therapy or education professional who believes in the importance of solving the problems of existing treatment models and helping young people to reach their potential, we’d love to connect with you. We hope to discover, collaborate and partner with professionals and programs in the country who share this philosophy and passion for quality care.

Drop us a line, follow us on Facebook, or subscribe to our newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you and learning about your why.

Meet Our Outpatient Director: Brandon Robinson

Posted on June 7, 2020 - 6:02 pm by Green Hill Recovery

Could we get some brief biographical information from you? Hometown, previous experience, education, etc.?

I’m originally from Detroit, Michigan but spent most of my childhood years between Ann Arbor and Valparaiso, Indiana. I come from a family of hard working, blue-collar people, most of whom were employed in the motor industries surrounding the Detroit area. Activities such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, gambling, and domestic violence were normalized in both my family and my neighborhood. Growing up, I aspired to play baseball and spent most of my time on the field, but as my high school social life picked up, so did my poor decision making. I found myself in a lot of legal trouble as a minor, which was compounded with maladaptive coping skills, such as use of alcohol and other drugs.

My only way out was to find people I could trust and confide in, and along the way I decided to move back to Michigan for college. I completed an undergraduate degree at Western Michigan University in 2001 and landed at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC for my postgraduate studies, earning a Master’s degree in 2005. Prior to my postgraduate studies I was working with adjudicated youth in a juvenile home and then in a group home with boys with histories of sex offenses.

After earning the Master’s degree, which had a specific focus and training on addiction counseling, I was able to hone in on adolescents and families with primary substance abuse and behavioral issues. After a couple of years providing counseling at a wilderness program in Pittsboro, NC, I started working with youth and their families performing in-home services. At this point I was offered a position to clinically supervise and develop an outpatient substance abuse program for adults.

In 2006, I married my domestic partner and in 2007 we headed out west. We landed in Monterey, CA where I pursued a position with a residential facility for adults with primary addiction use disorders. There, I learned an immense amount of information related to the medical model of addiction, as well as had constant exposure to 12-step recovery. While there, the opioid epidemic was really starting to take flight and we dealt with many high risk cases that were not only addiction focused, but also demanded attention from a public health perspective. I quickly became well versed in Medication Assisted Treatment and the value of this ancillary pathway to recovery, along with the advantages of harm reduction in addiction treatment.

Upon my return to North Carolina, my wife and I had one child, and soon had another in 2011. We returned to North Carolina from the west coast in 2010 and have resided in the northern part of Raleigh since that time. Over the past 10 years I have been helping to start up Intensive Outpatient Programs in the Wake County area, and most significantly, I was the clinical director for Wake County’s Adult Drug Court for 7 years. By happenstance, I was granted the opportunity to meet some folks at Green Hill and about 6 months later found myself in a position to consider coming aboard. My initial role was to help develop a new outpatient treatment program for the Raleigh area residents, and I am now helping to lead the clinical team at Green Hill as well as manage and further develop our Community Program.

What attracted you to working with young adults with substance abuse issues in the first place?

When I entered the clinical service field, I felt it would be a natural fit for me to work with youth since I wasn’t far removed from being one, and it was ridiculously easy for me to empathize with their stories and chaotic lifestyles.

What do you believe makes the Green Hill Outpatient Program stand out in its field, and why?

I have never heard of a program with such an intense focus on a certain demographic, and in this case a target population that many people, including clinicians, find too challenging to influence. Green Hill embraces this and provides opportunities for young males to experience fun, peer connection, and self-efficacy in early recovery from substances.

What is your proudest accomplishment? What about that accomplishment specifically makes it stand out against others in your life?

I feel I helped change the face of a nationally recognized program in North Carolina, Wake County’s Adult Drug Court program. I was able to educate, support, and change the operations of how judges, jails, and probation officers approach the legal ramifications of someone experiencing an addiction disorder in the criminal system in one of America’s fastest-growing cities.

Who has had the largest impact on your personal/professional development?

There are some colleagues I could name but I truly think I have been shaped more by the various clients I have worked with. Also, my mother, a young single woman, was a newspaper editor and I spent a lot of time in the newsroom as a child, constantly exposed to drama, coffee, cigarettes, and deadlines. I shouldn’t fail to mention the impact she has had on my work ethic as well as inspiring me to pursue a career that I truly enjoy.

What’s one memory you’ll always take with you from your time here in Green Hill?

It has been a rather short tenure to this point, but my best recent memory is the impact of COVID-19 and the clinical considerations we have had to make in lieu of this public health crisis. Transitioning from 3-hour in-person meetings to telehealth meetings for that same length of time seemed daunting and almost impossible, but our team came together and made the best of the situation. An immediate result was the consistent attendance of the same clients 3 days per week, 3 hours per day!

If you could take one colleague on a road trip, who would it be, why that person and where would you go?

Probably (Development Director) Jake Summers. I feel he would be up for anything on a whim, and would make the best of the situation. I could definitely see us scaling a mountain or something like that outdoors.

What does your ideal day look like?

Ahh, I love this question. Any ideal day would definitely start with a big breakfast with the family quickly followed by nine holes on the golf course. After that, if I still have the energy, I’d probably join the wife and kids on a hike, hit a Tigers game, and then enjoy dinner out at a restaurant, preferably a Mexican place.

What’s one message you wish our community program participants at Green Hill would always take with them?

Stay true to your values, and if your values change, do it with integrity.

Quick Facts about Brandon

Undergraduate school: Western Michigan University

Graduate school: East Carolina University

Favorite movie: Over the Top

Favorite album: Led Zeppelin II or The Chronic

Favorite sports team: Detroit anything, but really the Detroit Tigers

Top Karaoke Song Choice: Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot

Ideal lunch: Italian Sub

Dream job as a child: Play shortstop for Detroit Tigers

Recovery Isn’t Linear

Posted on May 18, 2020 - 6:53 pm by Green Hill Recovery

By Jake Summers, Development Director and Partner, Green Hill

One of the most difficult struggles in early recovery is acceptance of the fact that healing and growth are not linear. It feels intuitive to believe that life will be easier at the one year milestone in sobriety than at the one week point. While these large trends hold over time, it certainly doesn’t mean that for each week in recovery, life gets better by a matching amount. Dealing with setbacks, including relapse, are an extremely important ingredient in long-term sobriety. The “one day at a time” mindset is a valuable tool in coping with the up and down periods in recovery.

Often in 12-step meetings, I hear a person with 12, 18, or even 30 years sober sharing about how they were navigating their “toughest year in sobriety.” Life happens, to all of us. Painful events will happen to us in recovery. We may lose jobs or loved ones, become ill, or experience negative circumstances entirely out of our control. We cannot plan for life to go our way, but we can plan for how we will react when things don’t. Staying grounded in the reality that recovery isn’t linear and listening to those who have continued to stay sober under any circumstances are great places to start.

Most recovery stories are divided into two parts. War with a substance, and a life without a substance. We enter an inpatient program or our first 12-step meeting because we have lost a battle with a substance. Our entire focus in early sobriety is to stop using. Fighting cravings, resisting urges, and controlling our surroundings is a full time job. While we want to get back into school, or rebuild our family system, those tend to take a back seat to the chief goal of just not using.

As we move forward in recovery, eventually we reach an inflection point. The war turns into a scuffle which turns into an eventual passing thought. This is a promise of 12-step programs – at some point we still stop fighting drugs and alcohol. When this happens, we begin to focus on the rest of our lives. We begin to make amends, pursue dreams, become involved in the community.

The promise of recovery is not to make life easy; it is to give us a new set of tools to cope with life’s difficulties that doesn’t include drugs and alcohol. We have to learn how to have a meaningful life without substances.

It is also important to think through the consequences of a return to use. We often view substances as our escape from the reality of a situation, but the truth is they only make life more complicated. For example, if we lose out on a job opportunity, and return to using as a way to cope, we will likely become less employable and less desirable for better positions with each day we use. Drinking or using magnifies our problems, and reduces our ability to solve them.

Relapse is probably the biggest setback that can happen in recovery, although it is by no means necessary. While a relapse does mean that time in recovery is starting over, we can zoom out and view it as an event in a life of sobriety. A return to use can serve as an extremely valuable and humbling wake-up call or a reminder of why we stopped using in the first place. Lessons learned, connections in the community, and an understanding of the condition will all carry over from before a relapse. All progress does not have to be lost during a relapse, and it is a setback many have used as a catalyst for another phase of personal growth.

Extended care programs like Green Hill are designed to simultaneously build agency and self efficacy in clients, while providing them enough structure and clinical support to navigate challenging periods. As clients progress through the program, they become more confident and independent. Confidence and independence leads to expanding life experience, which adds complexity. The cycle continues! Feel better, pursue more opportunities, process the lessons learned when things do not go according to plan. Once we go through this cycle with support, we feel more confident that most of our ‘problems’ can be solved by the same solutions.

This cycle is accounted for in our phased system at Green Hill. Phase 4, the last in our clinical curriculum, is designed to empower residents to leave treatment feeling comfortable with their progress and confident in their ability to pursue a meaningful life . Our program allows residents to make mistakes and process them. The transition back to real life is designed to be a slow one.

Green Hill utilizes the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) to substance use treatment. In this framework, clients redevelop their community to provide positive reinforcement for healthy behaviors in recovery. Surrounding oneself with a supportive community that rewards you for honestly evaluating your life and for vocalizing negative feelings is an important part of the foundational work done at Green Hill. Admitting when things are difficult and seeking support from others in recovery is a critical element of the communal approach to sobriety.

The idea that clients can go to an inpatient facility living in a fully restricted environment and transition immediately back to normal life with little formal support is based on the assumption that recovery is linear. We know that recovery is more complex, and, for many, takes a winding path. At Green Hill, we have structured our curriculum accordingly. Recovery lasts a lifetime, and a foundation of recovery should be built slowly, deliberately, and for the long term.

My life in recovery has certainly not been linear, but it has been fulfilling beyond imagination. I have had my share of highs and lows, but no matter what happens I know I have the tools to be okay with it. If you are on the fence about starting your journey in recovery you are not alone, but you can join any time!

Introducing the Passion Projects Initiative

Posted on May 3, 2020 - 6:01 pm by Green Hill Recovery

At Green Hill, we believe that there is no one size fits all approach to treatment. A successful life in recovery, is one that is built on a foundation of purpose and meaning. Our residents must learn how to live a life without alcohol or drugs, and that is no small task. Finding what drives you is a meaningful step in recovery, and one of our staff members has brought a unique approach to this.

Caleb Barnhart is a Program Facilitator and part of the marketing team. Caleb has found a deep passion for photography, and this hobby has helped keep him sober. Residents love Caleb’s passion and energy, and have been eager to learn from him.

Upon seeing this, Caleb came up with a unique idea to start having residents work on a Passion Project that gives them an individualized purpose in recovery. Simply put, Caleb helps our residents find and cultivate their ‘thing’.

Keep reading below as I ask some questions to Caleb about the Passion Project initiative he is developing at Green Hill.

____________________________________________________________________________

Jake: What is a passion project to you?

Caleb: Passion Projects to me, are activities of creation that foster a feeling of being alive. It’s those moments when you realize you are gaining things back that addiction took away from you.

Jake: How did you get into photography?

Caleb: My mother was a shutterbug, so we always had cameras around the house. I saw how important capturing moments was to her, and eventually I tried my hand at it. One I started taking creative portraits of other people I fell in love and never looked back.

Jake: How has it helped your recovery?

Caleb: In short, it’s my healthy obsession. Photography allows me to pour my impulsive tendencies into self expression. It allows me to connect with others, express myself artistically, focus on something productive, and (most importantly) create instead of consume. Photography is simply mindfulness that you can show others.

Jake: Why do you want to share Passion Projects with our residents?

Caleb: Photography was the first thing in my journey to sobriety that made me excited to be alive again. It became such a powerful tool against addiction, trauma, and mental illness that I wanted to share that feeling with others like myself. Obviously everyone isn’t interested in photography, but I thought we could “zoom out” (pun intended) the idea to awaken self expression in others through a variety of activities.

I focused on the main benefits: connection, expression, and excitement. Passion!

Jake: How do you get a resident to let his guard down and start doing one of these?

Caleb: Each resident is different. It starts with getting to know them on an intimate and vulnerable level. Ask a lot of questions and listen for the spark; that thing that makes their eyes light up when they talk about it. Whatever makes that spark happen is what I try to organize the Passion Project around, it’s different for each resident.

Jake: Tell us a story about a Passion Project you have helped with at Green Hill?

Caleb: I think one of my favorite Passion Projects was supporting two of our residents’ music production projects. I noticed that we had two residents that really enjoyed making the same type of music. After seeing them dedicate weeks of time to their DIY closet studio at Green Hill, I started to see music have the same effect on them that photography has for me.

I proposed the idea to take them to a professional music studio in Raleigh in order to take classes on how to professionally produce the songs that they had been working so hard on. We told the guys that if they met their phase requirements that they would be going to the studio when they phased up! The day we spent at the studio was one of my favorite days at Green Hill. It was extremely rewarding for my own sobriety, and I could see how much it meant to those residents.

Jake: Do you feel like these projects help our residents in recovery?

Caleb: Absolutely! I think that anytime you can make someone have an experience that makes them laugh and feel alive while sober, it takes them one step further away from their addiction. For me, if recovery wasn’t fun, I wouldn’t do it.

Jake: Any future ideas for Passion Projects?

Caleb: Our future projects coming up will be a trip to Comic-Con for our residents who appreciate comic inspired media and games. The goal here will be to come up with a group cosplay idea. This is to help facilitate a sense of belonging to a community that is not defined by addiction, while simultaneously allowing the residents to actively participate in something that they normally just consume.

NCSU has a tunnel called the “Free Expression Tunnel”, the plan is to take our artistically inclined residents to go create a graffiti piece (legally). Before leaving, I will prompt the residents with a theme or topic to base their piece on. After word we sit and process the decisions of why each resident made their piece and what it means to them.

One of my bigger ideas is to teach the guys how to make a short road trip video. NC just opened up their first mountain roller coaster. The plan is to assign each resident a job for the video. Someone working a drone, a GoPro, iPhone, editing software, lighting, production, and being the subject. This allows the residents to not only learn the mechanics of media production, but also learn how to work as a team for a creative and engaging goal. It definitely doesn’t hurt that they get to fly down a mountain on a rollercoaster at the end of it.

To learn more about Caleb, check out his Meet the Team profile!

Meet Our Program Facilitator: Caleb Barnhart

Posted on April 27, 2020 - 5:00 pm by Green Hill Recovery

Could we get some brief biographical information from you? Hometown, previous experience, education, etc.?

I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC, and have battled with addiction from ages 14 to 24. Throughout that period, I had a lot of experience with institutionalized treatment programs, going to different treatment centers in Texas, Colorado, North Carolina and Georgia.

Currently, I’m a Senior at North Carolina State University majoring in Digital Media and Communication, where I try to focus on substance abuse disorders and recovery. After working as a soccer and swim coach for a few years, I joined the Green Hill team as one of its first Program Facilitators, and have been part of the team ever since.

In sobriety, I’ve found a passion both for physical fitness and photography, which I really enjoy sharing with our residents.

What first made you want to work for Green Hill?

Growing up in Raleigh, I’ve always seen a need for a recovery home in the capital. Unfortunately, when I was trying to get sober, I had to leave my hometown to receive treatment. I was volunteering in the community when I heard Green Hill was opening. As soon as I was introduced to Tripp, I knew that I would be a good fit for the program. Having spent a significant portion of my early adulthood battling addiction, I find it very rewarding to help guys in this age range. I feel uniquely qualified to help them with the issues that young men with substance abuse disorders face in early sobriety.

What keeps you coming back day after day?

The residents and my coworkers. I know what it is like to feel like just another number in a treatment system. I like to think that, since I have been in their shoes, I have a unique responsibility to make them feel seen and heard while going through our program.

As for my coworkers, I have never been a part of such a supporting and energetic community. I am very proud to be a member of this team.

If Green Hill had a talent show today, what would you be doing on the main stage?

Definitely a duet drag show with Program Coordinator Jay Bylund. Ideally accompanied by a song by Peaches.

Also, I would like to make a short film called “Halfway” that shows the human and empathetic elements of getting sober in a facility. Hopefully, highlighting the strong interpersonal relationships that are formed when recovering together. I believe that changing the social stigma at large is an important part of the process of recovery; plus, I just love being behind a camera.

Favorite spot to visit in Raleigh?

This is a tough question. Raleigh is a great city, and I have a lot of favorite spots, as a photographer. I love the bridge over the highway that connects the trails behind the NC Art Museum for sunset, but Red Hat Amphitheater is an amazing venue in the center of downtown that is hard to beat.

What’s one memory you’ll always carry with you from your time here at Green Hill?

I will always remember our ski trip to SnowShoe mountain! I had a blast seeing some of our guys really feel alive for the first time in a while. One of the coolest parts of my job is to see a resident really laugh, smile, and get lost in an activity. As a photographer, I can’t help but juxtapose these ‘images’ in my mind next to the look of pain and defeat when residents first enter our program.

Anything else you’d like the community at large to know?

I also work on the marketing and admissions team. While my primary role is as a Program Facilitator, I also talk to most residents before they come to Green Hill. I am able to give them a better understanding of what a day in the life is like for residents. It’s helpful for our residents to feel like they already have a more down to earth connection with one of our staff members before they arrive.

What’s one message you’d wish our residents would always carry with them?

Find out who you are, what you love, and the people that support that. The rest will fall into place.

Who has had the largest impact on your personal and/or professional development?

My Dad, Frank Barnhart. Also the Green Hill team, Tripp Johnson, Nick Slovak, Jay Bylund, and Jake Summers.

If you could give a new Green Hill Program Facilitator one piece of advice, what would it be?

Your main job is to be a cheerleader. Be every resident’s biggest fan.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Keep your mind where your feet are at. The more we get ahead of ourselves, the more complex life appears. Reminding myself to be present is an important part of my recovery.

What is one thing your hometown could be known for?

Home of the Dreamville Music Festival.

As the man behind the camera for Green Hill, who are your favorite photographers?

I love Haris Nukems work for his provocative subject matter, striking color profiles, and dramatic lighting. Something about british style has always been appealing to me.

Peter Mckinnon is not only an amazing photographer and videographer, but also a teacher. I find his photography breathtaking and unique, but his videos have been very helpful in my own photography journey.

Quick Facts about Caleb

Dream job as a kid?: National Geographic Photographer

High school superlative: Loudest Laugh

Favorite podcast: Sam Harris or Joe Rogan podcast

Favorite movies: Guy Richie or Wes Anderson films

Top karaoke song choice: Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen

One book on a desert island: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Meet Our Development Director: Jake Summers

Posted on April 6, 2020 - 4:10 pm by Green Hill Recovery

Could we get some brief biographical information from you? Hometown, previous experience, education, etc.?

I grew up in Phoenixville (suburban Philadelphia) before heading to West Point for college. I started my personal recovery journey in 2010 after I was kicked out of West Point for alcohol abuse. I finished up my degree at Villanova University, majoring in finance.

I had a career in finance for a few years before I had a quarter life crisis and moved to Cambodia. I had always had a desire to work in Asia, and I found a job with a small investment company in Phnom Penh. I ended up co-founding a mango farming and export company, and spent some time living in a shipping container in the jungle. It was an amazing experience, but I determined it was unsustainable for the long term.

Since I moved back, I have been a full time entrepreneur. I own a real estate and construction company in PA, and joined Green Hill to bring some fresh views on ways to run and grow this company to ensure the mission came first. Working at Green Hill is my first stint in the recovery profession, where I oversee the finance department and some of our strategic growth initiatives. I am able to combine my personal knowledge of recovery with my early stage business experience. My role at Green Hill has been the most fulfilling and impactful position I have ever had.

Why did you become a partner at Green Hill?

Our approach to recovery. My story in recovery involves losing my academic and career footing, and I know how hard it is to lose your identity and find a new one. A platform to help young men navigate similar experiences sounded tailor made for me. Tripp invited me down to do some consulting on some projects, and I signed on to be a partner a few months later. His vision as a leader is one that has a chance to change the way this entire industry approaches young adult treatment. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of something like this.

What keeps you coming back day after day?

The people. We have the most incredibly talented and driven staff. We have a sign in our house that says ‘Give a damn’, and that’s my sense in every interaction with our employees. Every one of us wants to grow, help our clients, and help each other.

A close second would be my interactions with parents and families. As the Development Director, I have a lot of chances to show our families that we are a mission driven organization, and we approach finances with a lot of flexibility and mutual understanding. There is not a lot of clarity and transparency in this field when it comes to costs, and I love being able to show families that we prioritize that.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My mentor / boss in finance sat me down and urged me to stop trying to fit my square self into a round hole in a corporate job. His advice was this: The best thing we can do is to start being our authentic selves as early as possible. My career has been a beautiful adventure ever since. I have zero regrets.

What does your ideal day look like?

It would start with a quiet half hour in the morning. When I lived in Cambodia, I spent thirty minutes outside on the porch with my coffee before I looked at my phone. It is amazing to see how we make a choice every single day to start our day in calm or chaos, simply by choosing if we look at that portable supercomputer right when we open our eyes. I would then go for a run on a scenic trail. I love running and I love nature. I have done multiple marathons, and I find it to be the most therapeutic experience I can take part in.

I would then jump right into work! I really enjoy working. I know that sounds crazy, but my most fulfilling days are jam packed with critical problem solving and teamwork. Prioritizing self care over work is an ongoing battle for me. I would end my work day with a short meditation and a call to my Grandma, a tradition started when I commuted home from my first job. Our little five minute chat each day keeps me centered and represents an ‘end’ to the day for me. I would then head over to my brother’s house to play with my twin nephews before dinner. They make every problem in my life a heck of a lot smaller, and there is something so exhilarating about earning a laugh from an 18 month old child.

I would head back home and cook a nice dinner. I love to experiment in the kitchen. After dinner, I usually head to a meeting! The relationships I have built in sobriety are the most meaningful thing in my life. Ending the day with my people and my community is probably the best use of an hour I can come up with. I seem to enter every meeting obsessed with the things I didn’t accomplish that day, and leave with a healthy dose of self-forgiveness for doing the best I could. I usually tune out an hour before bed and ‘shut down’ with a book, the guitar, or a documentary.

What superlative would you have received in high school?

I did receive class clown, and I was proud! I was 99% humor, 1% school work. To be completely honest, I barely resemble my high school self after living a life in recovery. I can tell you that, back then, I would not have been most likely to succeed, make a difference, become president, etc.

What’s one message you wish our residents would always carry with them?

“Success is not final, and failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

Recovery and life are long term games. Everyday we have an opportunity to grow and an opportunity to practice self-forgiveness, when we don’t.

Who has had the largest impact on your personal/professional development?

Tripp Johnson. I have never seen someone approach personal development so deliberately. He has helped me discover and embrace my core values, and ensure that life, personal relationships, my career, my family, all tap their roots into the same soil (values). It is some really powerful stuff.

Anything else you’d like the community at large to know?

I work remotely from Philadelphia and spend a week per month on the ground in Raleigh.

Quick Facts about Jake

Undergraduate: Villanova University

Colleague for a Road Trip: Jay Bylund – that’s easy. He’s hilarious, a great DJ, and a caring conversationalist.

Tag: green hill recovery

Green Hill Throws Support Behind North Carolina’s Largest Addiction Professionals Network

Podcast: Nick Slovak Talks Academics & Recovery on “Success is Subjective”

Meet Our Primary Therapist: Emily Trapp

Photo Finish: A Passion Project Story

Green Hill’s Why: A Look at What Inspires Us

The Problem

What, How, & Why

**So, about that ‘*why’?***

What is the Green Hill Model?