Why is COEG Promising?
/Beyond these promising preliminary findings, the Co-Occurring Education Group has other design attributes that can benefit clients and systems of care:
For Clients:
- COEG is an open curriculum, where participants can join or leave whenever they choose.
- It is respectful. There is no one right or wrong way to make changes in life.
- Participants are given tools and resources to use and take steps on their own.
- Session structure creates a respectful and empowering environment for change.
- The sessions start a conversation, which often continues after a group ends.
For Systems of Care:
- The educational program is replicable and scalable. The COEG Start-Up Toolkit and training can be implemented without astronomical costs.
- A variety of line staff can lead the groups. The COEG program includes online and in-person training for facilitators and leaders and the Facilitator Guide provides a word-for-word script to run each session. This means facilitators do not need to be licensed in either behavioral health or substance use.
- People who have previously been in early stages of readiness for change can empower themselves to move toward more active readiness.
- Curriculum integrates SAMHSA videos and materials on addiction and recovery.
- The topics and materials appeal to the people we serve.
- The program is a recovery-centered approach which is client-centered and driven by an individual's hopes and dreams (integrating Telecare’s Recovery Centered Clinical System).
"What we're doing at Telecare is establishing relationships. I think that’s the key to our success." said Scott Madover, Regional Director of Operations. “Something that Telecare does well is engage people about their hopes and dreams. We find a vision that clients can look at and say, 'That's what I want.' They might not reach that hope and dream, but there are a lot of steps that they do reach which will help people feel satisfied and better about themselves. Everyone has to have not just a goal, but a hope of what could be different in their life."