At many points along our recovery journey, we will seek and secure professional help. When we do, we need to be sure that the people we engage welcome us as full partners in our own care.
They need to respect our sexuality, gender identity, and race as well as understand our values, experiences, and perspectives regarding what we need. They need to recognize the impacts that stress and trauma have had on our health and be able to communicate empathetically and effectively with us so that we can build trust and mutual understanding.
They need to listen to us as we explore and put together our recovery patchwork; they don't have the right to dissuade us from following particular pathways. We always deserve to be the final decision makers on our recovery plans.
Importantly, if or when we have a setback in our recovery, we deserve professionals' support, not their judgment. Are you receiving the support that you deserve?
I define the sort of professional support that I will receive, when I determine that I need it.