S.E.R.E.N.I.T.Y.

S - Safety First – Before addressing goals, behaviour, or progress, check that the person feels physically and emotionally safe in the moment. Recovery work can't move forward on top of an unaddressed crisis.

"Before we talk about anything else -  how are you doing right now, today?"

E - Empathize & Validate - Acknowledge the person's experience and emotions without judgment, minimizing, or rushing to fix. Validation doesn't mean agreeing that a behaviour was effective - it means acknowledging that the feeling makes sense.

"It makes sense that you'd feel discouraged after a hard week - that doesn't mean you've failed."

R - Reflect Strengths - Actively name what the person is doing well, including past resilience, not just current struggles. Recovery-oriented support is asset-based, not deficit-based.

"You reached out today instead of isolating - that's a real skill you used."

E - Explore Goals Together - Collaborate rather than direct. Goals set with the person (not for them) are more likely to be internalized and sustained. Keep goals specific and realistic for where they are right now.

"What would feel like a meaningful next step to you - not to me, to you?"

N - Normalize the Process - Explicitly frame setbacks, relapses, and plateaus as an expected part of recovery, not evidence of failure. This reduces shame spirals that often precede disengagement from care.

"Recovery isn't a straight line for anyone. A hard day doesn't erase your progress."

I - Identify Triggers & Supports - Help the person map what tends to destabilize them and what/who tends to help. This turns abstract "coping" into a concrete, personalized plan.

"What was happening right before things got hard? Who or what usually helps in those moments?"

T - Track Progress (Small & Visible) - Use small, measurable markers of change and reflect them back regularly. Progress in recovery is often nonlinear and easy to lose sight of without deliberate tracking.

"Compare this to a month ago - what’s different, even a little?"

Y - Yield Control Appropriately - Resist the urge to over-direct. Autonomy and choice are protective factors in recovery; a supporter's job is to build capacity, not dependency. Step back as the person is able to step forward.

"You get to decide how fast this goes. I'm here, but this is your process."