Volunteers Needed: Telephone Recovery Support @ USARA – USARA

Volunteers Needed: Telephone Recovery Support @ USARA

What is TRS?

USARA provides Telephone Recovery Support (TRS), an innovative peer-to-peer recovery support service. TRS offers weekly telephone calls to people in recovery from alcohol and/or drug addiction to “check in” and see how they’re doing.  Recoverees are given support and encouragement as well as information about community resources.

Calls are made by trained USARA volunteers that are also in recovery themselves.  TRS calls take place at USARA’s Recovery Community Center in Salt Lake County.  However, anyone seeking recovery support throughout Utah can sign up to receive a support call.  TRS helps reduce relapse and enhances the recovery experience for recoverees as well as the volunteer making the calls.

TRS calls are typically between 5-15 minutes long and are meant to provide motivation, encouragement, support and compassion. The beauty is in the simplicity. TRS helps people stay in recovery. Sometimes just a phone call can make someone feel wanted, cared about and included. Dare, we say “loved”. When making the call, the caller will feel rewarded when they have spoken with someone. They share in joys and sorrows, triumphs and setbacks. They have the satisfaction of giving back, of making a difference. It’s a classic win-win scenario.

If you are interested in becoming a TRS Volunteer, send an email to: info@myusara.com

TRS Volunteer Service Description:

The goal of the TRS Volunteer position is to support a recoveree, who has requested this service, in their efforts to initiate and/or maintain their recovery.  This service position requires the TRS volunteer to call individuals to ask how their recovery is progressing and connect them to the resources they need to achieve and maintain their recovery.

Roles and responsibilities include:

  • Providing peer-to-peer support by reaching out over the phone to “recoverees” who have been identified by USARA
  • Showing support by simply “checking-in” with recoverees and allowing recoverees to choose their own path to recovery
  • Listening
  • Recognizing and encouraging recoverees strengths and achievements
  • Identifying possible barriers to recovery and offering sugestins for removing those barriers
  • Connecting recoverees to resources and organizations that can help remove barriers to recovery
  • Maintaining and nurturing their own personal recovery in order to the transformative power of recovery
  • Sharing their own experience, strength, and hope with recoverees
  • Practicing appropriate ethics and boundaries
  • Advocating for recovery
  • Accurately representing the role of USARA to the recovery community
  • Complying with all USARA policies and procedures outline in the USARA Handbook

What a TRS Volunteer is not:

One of the key ways in which a TRS volunteer differs from a counselor, therapist, 12-step sponsor, or spiritual advisor is in the nature of the relationship of the volunteer to the volunteeree. The relationship of the counselor or therapist with a client or patient is one of an expert helper to an individual seeking help. The boundaries of the relationship are strictly defined, and the helper tends to have significantly more power in the relationship than does the helpee. While the roles of sponsors and spiritual advisors are in some ways similar to that of a recovery volunteer, both the sponsor and the spiritual advisor roles entail a natural authority that the role of the volunteer does not. Like the sponsor and spiritual advisor, the volunteer is a fellow journeyer who is somewhat further along the path than the individual with whom he or she works. However, unlike them, the volunteer is first and foremost a peer and a consultant.

We reiterate here much of what has been said before because of the importance of understanding the role of the coach and how it differs from other roles. A TRS Volunteer is NOT a:

  • Social worker.
  • Pastor, priest, rabbi, imam, or other spiritual advisor.
  • Case worker.
  • Financial adviser.
  • Loan officer.
  • Marriage counselor.
  • Best friend
If you are interested in becoming a TRS Volunteer, send an email to: info@myusara.com