Think of “recovery” as regaining, restoring, renewing an individual life, a marriage, a family, or even an organization like a church, club, or a family business. It’s working hard to take back. It’s reclaiming that which has been lost or destroyed or ruined or hurt by the pressures of life. The loss or hurt may be the product of our own unwise choices, the irregular and unreasonable demands of others, or a result of the struggles we all face in relationship, no matter who we are.

A simplistic, imperfect, metaphor: Just as builders, homeowners, developers improve, and restore buildings, houses, apartments, parks, and the transportation systems of our great cities, so will a good mental health professional, family therapist, counseling or clinical psychologist, be able to help an individual, a family, a business, or a church do what is necessary to restore, reclaim, and rebuild an individual, a family, a business, or a church – so that all in the context may be empowered to live lives of greater wholeness, usefulness, and purpose. The professional is the catalyst, the work of recovery is always up to the client.