“Walking in My Shoes” The Recovery Simulation Experience

The journey to recovery is fraught with many barriers with stigma often standing in the way of individuals with a substance use disorder speaking out and seeking treatment. Stigma also prevents their family and friends from talking about this disease and reaching out for help and support. The SOS Berks Opioid Coalition recognizes the powerful impact of stigma and has been promoting stigma reduction initiatives and messaging throughout Berks County. The SOS Berks awareness and education campaigns spread the message that “Support Helps, Stigma Hurts” (Stigma Reduction - SOS Berks - Opioid Coalition). The campaign has engaged individuals in recovery, friends, family members, and professionals and has provided the foundation for on-going action to reduce stigma.

As efforts to reduce stigma have evolved, we must be mindful that connecting to a treatment program or a pathway to recovery is only the beginning. Stigma represents a formidable barrier as people in early recovery still experience stigma as they begin their recovery journey. Stigma can be found in the very helping professions and services that are put in place to assist in recovery. Professionals often well intended may not realize the barriers and challenges that existing systems put in place. Individuals without lived experience often struggle to empathize with the struggles people in early recovery face. As a field we continue to seek knowledge on the latest research on stigma and change our language to be less stigmatizing. However, without the lived experience, that is “walking in my shoes,” is something missed?

In April SOS Berks brought a unique opportunity to do just that. Give those without lived experience an opportunity on a small scale to understand what it is like to navigate many systems and services in early recovery. Live simulations have been successfully applied for a long time to address a variety of topics. Emergency response teams stage simulations for disaster training. Poverty simulations are used to help people understand the struggles of food insecurities and accessing resources. The Recovery Simulation was born out of the Carbon

County Overdose Coalition. Stigma reduction is part of the SOS Berks strategic plan. The simulation experience addresses stigma in a unique and immersive way. SOS Berks, along with twenty-five plus volunteers, implemented a Recovery Simulation at East Does It in Bern Township in April 2023.

The Recovery Simulation is based on a poverty simulation example which was adapted to fit the topic of substance use disorder including stations around addiction, elements of trauma, mental health, and re-entry. After many adjustments, our Recovery Simulation started.

There are many agencies, systems and people that interact with those in early recovery. Each person has unique challenges and varying support and resources. Individuals that show up at the doors of human service agencies often are in greater need of assistance, resources, and support. Professionals working at these organizations may also have varying levels of understanding and empathy for those desiring services. As professionals, we all carry our lived or lack of lived experience with us. Empathy is key to our effectiveness, and we need to be offering services without stigma.

The primary goal of a recovery simulation is to provide a safe environment for those without lived experience to experience early recovery. Participants should come in with an open mind and a willingness and determination to complete all the tasks demanded of those in early recovery. Once the participants arrive they are given a life card and asked to sit in the center of the room. On this card all participants receive a new name and background, including substances they used, mental health issues, involvement with the criminal justice system, employment status and living status. They are also given varying forms of resources to get them started. This could range from varying amounts of money, transportation tickets and different identification status.

Around the outside of the room are fifteen stations available to visit offering a variety of services. Each participant will have to visit specific stations depending on the services they need to complete in the week. Once the simulation starts, the group has fifteen minutes to complete the first week. Depending on what forms of identification a person has they will have to gain a social security card, birth certificate and legal identification to gain services from most stations. A transportation ticket is required each time a station is visited.

To simulate real life and the challenges we all face, there may be times when the simulation is interrupted by inclement weather, or the Court House could be closed because of a holiday. These extra interruptions mean participants don’t get all their tasks completed and must deal with the consequences. Participants could find themselves visiting the food pantry because they do not have enough money to buy food, not picking up a prescription because the pharmacy is closed, or even back in jail for violating their probation.

The whole simulation covers four weeks in fifteen minute intervals. At the end participants are given time to reflect and provide feedback on their experience through a group discussion. Through this growth experience, participants have been able to “walk in the shoes” of a person in early recovery and are now able to better empathize with the journey.