I Was in Rehab (sort of)
I enrolled in a therapy program last January. It was an unorthodox therapy because it was a course similar to an online class rather than a one-on-one, week in and week out, sitting on a couch standard therapy.
I saw the ad on Instagram several times, but buying anything from Instagram gave me the impression that I was for sure going to get scammed.
At some point I decided to click on the ad, which eventually led me to the official Alive & Free website. I signed up for the free 10 minute video, which was supposed to help learn how to heal from past pain or something.
I went a rollercoaster of emotions over the span of a few weeks considering enrolling in the program. By the end of January 2021, I enrolled. I 'll get into what this program was all about in a bit.
I was desperate for help, and the reason I didn't seek out traditional therapy is because I didn't trust non-Marriage and Family Therapists. It was the therapy I was trained in so I believed any other approach wasn't good enough. That's a dumb reason to not seek help. Go to therapy. Types of licenses aren't that important unless you are seeking pointed recovery.
I'd gone to therapy twice several years back, but coming out of a toxic adult relationship, I needed what this course was offering. True healing; faith based help. I knew I wanted to be married, and I also knew I didn't want to take so much trauma and pain into my marriage as much as I could help it. I was living in a pattern that wasn't going to get me what I wanted, and it would definitely cause pain to a man who doesn't deserve it.
I was single at the time. I was recently ghosted and dumped by someone I thought I loved. I was not doing well. I had so much bitterness. I was going through withdrawals. I wanted to hate him, but I knew I had some unhealthy qualities, too. I decided I couldn't carry that anymore. I didn't want to be that person in any sort of relationships: platonic or romantic.
The first thing I did was speak with someone who did an over the phone intake. This was openly and clearly a time where I could discern if this program was a right fit for me while the coaching consultant evaluated if I was a right fit for the program. I liked this. It felt fair, which made me believe this was credible. We talked about the price and course set up. I almost didn't do it because it was almost $3,000 for 6 months of therapy. I didn't have that kind of money. I will tell you this: a good therapist will be upwards of a $100-$150 per session, and you typically see them once a week. The total cost of the course was actually a bargain, and I actually ended up paying less because of the payment plan I chose.
O.k. so the way the course works, and how I chose to go about it.
The course is set up to be completed in 9 weeks. Every week there is a topic where the two main coaches walk you through healing based on the topic. For example, some weeks were about learning the enneagram and using it as a tool to know your "why". Another was on co-dependency. Another trauma wounds.
You have up to six months to complete the course. In between courses, there is an option to attend virtual one-on-one coaching and/or virtual group coachings. A counselor, coach or mental health speaker would guide you through specific topics often aligning with the course work.
I should mention this program was for Christian women only, which is another reason why the intake is important. Group therapy calls were the place we could share some really hard, often dark things. Coaches would invite us, on a first come, first serve basis to share what it is we were needing breakthrough. I appreciated the pointed and healing focus of the group dynamic. Everything was online, and my experience was not hindered by it.
The best way I can describe this is similar to what I can only imagine is like a rehab or an anonymous support group experience.
I spent six months enrolled in an emotional health therapy program.
It's bettered my life. It's bettered my practice as a counselor, too.
I want to admit that this course required a lot more of my effort than driving to a therapist's office or picking up the phone for a tele-health appointment.
For six months I had to show up and be vulnerable. I listened to other women do the same. We all worked hard together and separately. God in the center of it all. It wasn't perfect, but I am living in some good, long lasting fruit.
check out the course here:
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