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There is a significant need for eating disorder support on college campuses. Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are providing specialized support for students in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) but struggle to support students with eating disorders, despite the high co-occurring rates of SUDs and eating disorders. This is a brief report describing Texas Tech University's experience in delivering eating disorder support in their CRP, outlining the challenges they have recognized, and providing recommendations and resources for overcoming them.

Research has focused primarily on the impact of death on family functioning and the stages and tasks of grief, though little attention has been given to grief camps or the experiences of those who work there. This study explored the experiences of staff at a four-day overnight children's grief camp. Eight participants reported their experience of camp in two major categories: connection to others and independence in grief and five themes. Camp provides the opportunity for campers to connect to others while finding their own path to healing. Clinical implications and future research directions are also discussed. (Contains 1 figure.)

More than ever, people are seeking substance use disorder treatment during the adolescent and young adult stages of development. Developmentally, many of these young adults new to recovery are in the process of making career decisions that may require attendance at a college or university. However, the collegiate environment is not conducive to a recovery lifestyle. Since the 1980s, several colleges and universities have implemented Collegiate Recovery Programs, offering students "safe havens" where they can obtain support from other students in recovery and from staff while they pursue a college education. The collegiate recovery programs have been successful at graduating students and supporting their recovery. Today, there are more than 75 collegiate recovery programs already established or in the process of development, serving more than 500 students across the United States. Although the various programs offer different types of services, each one seems to be having some type of success based on the research thus far. This article describes the emerging adult population of recovering college students, the history of Collegiate Recovery Programs, and what they offer.

Marriage and family therapists (MFTs), who are trained in systems theory and consult with complex and difficult systems (e.g., couples and families), are uniquely suited to both assess and intervene in broader organizational systems. However, MFTs are in need of more systemically designed assessment tools to guide and inform their interventions with organizational systems. This study examined the construct and concurrent validity of the Organizational Systems Questionnaire (OSQ). The OSQ is designed to use a systemic framework to measure the construct of organizational functioning. Participants were simultaneously administered the Abridged Job Description Index, Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, Stress in General, and Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire scales along with the OSQ. The OSQ demonstrated good construct validity, factor analysis indicates it is measuring one global factor of organizational functioning, reliability was strong (alpha = 0.91), and it showed high levels of internal consistency. The OSQ also demonstrated positive concurrent validity with acceptable levels of correlation with the other organizational measures. Overall, the OSQ was found to be a useful and psychometrically sound single-factor measure of organizational functioning.

The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore the lived experiences of meaningful relationships among persons in 12-step recovery. The distinction of recovery is important as our study focused less on relational patterns during active substance use and more on their perception within their recovery. This phenomenological study followed Van Manen's six step approach of qualitative research. Data were collected from 7 participants through semi-structured one-on-one participant interviews. Participants were asked open-ended questions regarding their SUD recovery (e.g., "What is your experience of your capacity to be in meaningful relationships?"). Resulting from the analysis, four themes were extracted from the overarching theme of the Capacity for Meaningful Relationships in Recovery. The four emergent themes included Building the Foundation in Recovery, Sharing a Common Ground of Support, Giving Back – Helping Others, and Bridging Recovery to Family – The Biggest Accomplishment. Limitations and future research are discussed as well as the potential impact and application of these findings as they relate to recovery research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors propose that families facing childhood cancer inadvertently become part of a distinct cultural group. To better train clinicians working with these families, this study was conducted as a [...]

There is a significant need for eating disorder support on college campuses. Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are providing specialized support for students in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) but struggle to support students with eating disorders, despite the high co-occurring rates of SUDs and eating disorders. This is a brief report describing Texas Tech University's experience in delivering eating disorder support in their CRP, outlining the challenges they have recognized, and providing recommendations and resources for overcoming them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) growth is dependent upon research that addresses the value of CRPs. Given that CRP research is relatively new, there are barriers related to justifying the establishment and growth of CRPs. One barrier to CRP expansion is the lack of cost-benefit analyses within the field. Understanding students and their wellbeing with CRPs is a focal point overshadowing the importance of financial implications even though finances are integral to CRP health and longevity. Thus, it is imperative to identify these financial implications in order establish and convey the value of a CRP. This article reports on a cost-benefit analysis completed using the national averages of cost and benefits related to CRPs. Findings reinforce the value of CRPs and show the monetary impact a CRP can add to an institution of higher learning. This cost-benefit analysis was developed for institutions of higher education using available national data. Conclusions, limitations, and future implications are discussed. In addition, a cost-benefit tool was developed to be utilized by those who wish to develop a CRP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) thrives in isolation. Recovery requires healthy and supportive relationships in order to heal and grow. Many individuals in alcohol recovery find it challenging to establish and maintain meaningful romantic relationships, yet little research has examined this concept. With a particular focus on relationship insecurity and relationship safety, this study explored persons' experiences of romantic relationships in AUD recovery. Twenty-three participant interviews were analyzed. A conventional content analysis was first used to inductively uncover categories and then a summative content analysis was utilized to examine textual frequencies. Categories, themes and coded frequencies informed the overall analyses. Three main categories emerged with themes explaining participants' relationship experiences (Identifying Unsafe Relationships: negative and positive impact of conflict; Addressing Relationship Insecurity: anxiety and avoidance; and Establishing Relationship Safety: trust and recovery). Although there were several limitations, this study offers new insight on romantic relationships in AUD recovery. We emphasize the importance of establishing safety and addressing maladaptive attachment behaviors in order to better navigate toward healthy and supportive romantic relationships in recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how suffering and lack of choice play a role in suicide among individuals with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health conditions. People who experience profound suffering from both disorders often seek support from recovery groups, family and friends, faith communities and healthcare professionals. To help those who have attempted or experienced suicide-related thoughts and behaviors, the hope is that this reflection opens the doors for deeper conversation and can offer additional avenues of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use disorders (SUDs) significantly impact family systems, yet have often been treated as an individual problem. Nevertheless, family inclusion has become a treatment priority although limited research exists regarding family members. Specifically, research has yet to examine neuropsychological processes associated with family members. This study examined prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation of family members using functional near-infrared spectroscopy as they viewed images of a loved-one with a SUD. Activation patterns of an experimental group were compared against those of a control group and showed significant differences in PFC responses. Implications are discussed and demonstrate the importance of family member recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which explores the experience of emerging adults through phenomenological methodology and how they perceived two key elements of recovery, namely, hope and healthy coping, from addiction.

Timely problem identification/assessment is one of the core technologies of employee assistance programs (EAPs). Historically, assessment primarily involved assessing individual problems. Increasingly, EAPs are expected to assess couple, family, and even organizational problems. Although the most common methods of assessment are qualitative in nature (e.g., personal interview), there are several advantages to utilizing quantitative assessments as a method of gathering information from clients regarding individual problems, relationship dynamics, and organizational functioning. In this article the authors discuss the merits of quantitative assessment in EAP service delivery and describe their use and development of quantitative measures for assessing individuals, couples, families, and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]