Meditation Groups

For many people who struggle with mental health issues and addiction, feeling powerless in the face of overwhelming emotions is a concern. Overthinking takes people to dark places in their mind, and meditation is a highly effective way of breaking that cycle. There are practically unlimited ways to meditate, and our friendly team can help you find what works for you.

Learning how to meditate often begins with mindfulness. That means learning to stay in the present moment and put space between your feelings and your actions — which is easier said than done, but entirely possible with guidance and support.

Another way we can help you learn how to stay grounded and self-soothe in the face of overwhelming feelings is through breath work. When emotions run high, it’s common for people to hyperventilate or take short, shallow breaths. By learning how to regulate your breathing, you can gain more control over your thoughts and feelings.   

Life Skills Groups

Mental health can create a lot of chaos in people’s lives, destroying everything from their health to their relationships and careers. During the process of recovering from mental health issues, you can gain a lot of insight from life skills groups and collective therapy that focuses on ways to help you rebuild a stronger foundation as an individual and as part of a group. 

These types of sessions provide an opportunity to help you rebuild your confidence and start to realign your life’s purpose and goals. You’ll also learn how to address daily triggers that often lead to stress, anxiety and a tendency to abuse substances as an escape. Life skills groups will discuss actionable ways to rebuild important things that were lost during active addiction, including your health, finances, relationships and emotional regulation.

If you suffer from a mental disorder alongside addiction, a life skills group will teach you how to navigate challenges through healthier approaches. You’ll learn how others in your group struggle with the same mental health issues and have made similar choices with poor outcomes. 

At Alta Loma, our life skills groups are designed to give you the coping skills you’ll need to live a successful and healthy life after returning home. These important sessions will also provide participants with an opportunity to learn new ways of working alongside others, building a recovery network in the process. 

Some of the steps that’ll be discussed are: 

• Building healthy new relationships and rebuilding old ones 
• Budgeting to rebuild credit and financial stability
• Maintaining household responsibilities for a calmer mind and a clean, decluttered living space 
• Regulating emotion when negative situations arise and managing daily life stressors 
• Healthy coping mechanisms to replace unhealthy substance abuse
• Recognizing triggers and learning how to work through them if they can’t be avoided 
• Job skills and career development 

Advocacy

Advocacy at Alta Loma serves as a multifaceted and comprehensive approach to support clients who are grappling with complex challenges that may not be adequately addressed through traditional therapy or psychiatry alone. This is often likened to life coaching, providing an invaluable resource for individuals navigating the intricate landscape of mental health issues. For those struggling to make progress or needing to shift focus to community reintegration, advocacy can be a lifeline that empowers them to overcome obstacles and regain control over their lives.

Advocates, with their lived experiences, are uniquely positioned to connect with clients on a deeply personal level. This connection fosters trust and understanding, two foundational elements in the recovery process. When clients feel heard, respected, and genuinely understood, they are more likely to engage actively in their own healing journey. Often the “non-professional” aspect of the advocate allows the client to open up in a way they are not in therapy.

Empowerment is a central theme in the advocacy approach. Through advocacy, clients are encouraged to take the reins of their lives, make informed choices about their mental health, and set achievable goals. This empowerment not only boosts their self-esteem but also enhances their resilience and coping mechanisms, enabling them to better confront and manage their mental health challenges.