From Struggle to Support: SMART Recovery Program Launches in Lock Haven
By Emily Wright
LOCK HAVEN— A fresh approach to addiction recovery is now available in Lock Haven through the SMART Recovery program. This global initiative, offering a secular and evidence-based alternative to traditional 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) and Narcotics Anonymous (N.A.), has expanded its reach with weekly meetings held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 112 E. Main Street in downtown Lock Haven.
Led by community members Bekie Shimp and Sean McMillan, who are both trained and certified SMART Recovery facilitators, the program is geared toward empowering individuals to manage their addictive or problematic behaviors to cultivate a balanced life, improve self-esteem, cope with urges and cravings, and much more.
Meetings are held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church every Thursday at 12:00 p.m., with a second weekly meeting set to launch on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. Bekie facilitates the Thursday meetings, while Sean will be leading the Tuesday evening meetings.
The acronym “SMART” stands for Self-Management and Recovery Training, and the program’s meetings provide a modern, science-based alternative to traditional 12-step programs like A.A. and N.A. The SMART Recovery program strives to provide a safe, non-judgmental space where individuals facing a wide variety of addictive or harmful behaviors can focus on changing those behaviors as well as the thought processes that lead to them. Bekie emphasized that the program is inclusive of individuals who are struggling with a wide range of addictive or problematic behaviors, not just those related to drugs and alcohol.
The program welcomes anyone over age 18 who is interested in exploring the SMART Recovery approach to combat addiction or behaviors that are negatively impacting their lives. Meetings are free and do not require registration—interested individuals can just show up to any Tuesday or Thursday meeting and enter through the church’s side entrance.
SMART Recovery is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that offers a new way to approach addiction recovery. Founded in 1994, the program provides a secular, scientifically supported alternative to traditional addiction treatment. It incorporates methods that stem from Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help individuals work towards their personal recovery goals. Participants learn to cope with urges and cravings, build and maintain motivation, manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and live a balanced life. Because of its popularity, the SMART Recovery program has expanded from its initial 42 meetings to over 1,500 across North America alone today, and it continues to grow globally, with meetings offered in over 23 countries and counting.
As a facilitator, Bekie’s goal is to create and maintain a supportive, non-judgmental environment where participants feel comfortable openly discussing their experiences and feel a sense of camaraderie with other meeting attendees. She emphasized that, in her role, she provides support and encourages positive behavior but does not impose her opinions on participants. Instead, she guides them to express their own thoughts and identify the behaviors that are harmful to their lives, helping them to reach their own realizations so they can begin or continue their recovery journey.
SMART Recovery meetings offer a more flexible approach to addiction recovery, focusing on individual accountability and self-management. Unlike 12-step programs, which follow more formal protocols, SMART Recovery meetings encourage open discussions amongst participants without boundaries.
First-time meeting attendees can expect a very supportive atmosphere free from judgment where people feel comfortable opening up about what they’re facing. Meetings typically run for 60-90 minutes, depending on the number of attendees, but Bekie says she tries to keep them to about 60 minutes. She noted that newcomers do not have to state their real name or even participate in the discussion if they don’t want to; they are welcome to just come, listen in, and observe without any pressure to share or participate.
Discussions typically begin with a “check-in,” where everybody gets a chance to share how their week went— what went well and what could’ve gone better. “Everybody celebrates each other’s ‘wins’ with them during meetings, and we encourage each other to grow. If somebody’s struggling with something, there’s always somebody that’s had the same struggle and can give helpful tips about what helped them,” Bekie said.
Bekie underscored that the meetings are meant to be welcoming and comfortable, with a strong emphasis on confidentiality. Facilitators request that attendees keep all discussions and the identities of participants confidential. “Just as you would want your own confidentiality to be protected, we ask participants to be equally considerate and respect others’ privacy,” she emphasized. The program relies on the sense of community and trust that develops within the group, which encourages mutual respect among members.
Bekie explained that SMART Recovery meetings emphasize changing one’s thought processes and negative self-beliefs rather than focusing solely on addictive behaviors. The program encourages participants to examine their behaviors and negative thoughts, guiding them to adopt a different perspective. “We focus on the present and what you want from your future rather than focusing on the past, and this approach helps to support long-term recovery,” Bekie explained.
“We also discourage the use of labels,” Bekie mentioned. The recovery program as a whole discourages the use of labels such as “addict” or “alcoholic” because they can interfere with a person’s self-image, especially if they’re already in a vulnerable state of mind. Instead, the focus is on a person’s problematic behaviors and teaching them how to modify the thought patterns that lead to those behaviors.
Bekie’s involvement with the program stems from her personal experience with addiction and recovery. When asked what compelled her to take the initiative and become a SMART Recovery facilitator, she shared that she recognized a need for additional recovery options beyond A.A. and N.A. in Lock Haven, both for herself and for others who don’t know where to turn beyond the traditional 12-step programs, which focus on more specific addictions.
“I also wanted to attend SMART Recovery meetings myself, but I couldn’t get to one because the closest was held in Williamsport,” she said. “I needed a safe space where I could be myself and feel accepted right where I was at in my recovery journey.” Out of this desire and commitment to her sobriety, Bekie worked with Crossroads Counseling and West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission to become a trained and certified facilitator for SMART.
Bekie emphasized that the SMART Recovery program isn’t meant to replace 12-step programs but serves as an additional option for those on the path to recovery. The principles of SMART Recovery differ from those of other programs, and they can be used to supplement N.A. and A.A. meetings or stand alone, depending on the unique needs of an individual. Some people choose to attend SMART Recovery meetings only, while others combine them with 12-step meetings.
When it comes to the inspiration behind jumping in as a SMART Recovery facilitator, Bekie said, “I love volunteering and giving back to the community, and I’m passionate about helping people find their joy again; that’s my passion, and this is my way of giving back.” Her strong drive to help others has fostered an inclusive environment that addresses diverse addictive behaviors beyond just substances, such as gambling, eating disorders, sex, overspending, and even impulse control issues like road rage, just for example.
Although SMART Recovery is a secular program that does not incorporate spirituality in its methodology or meetings, Bekie expressed that she personally feels very passionate about her religious beliefs and says that she integrates them into her sobriety journey by putting her relationship with God first in her life. Expressing her strong passion, she asserted, “My recovery and my ability to facilitate these meetings wouldn’t have been possible had I not reestablished my relationship with God.” Discussions around religious beliefs are welcomed at meetings but are not a part of the program itself.
Notably, the program doesn’t limit itself to total abstinence; it recognizes that everyone’s recovery journey is unique. Participants are encouraged to view relapses as an opportunity to recognize the behavior that led to the relapse and learn from it. “We look at a relapse as a learning experience, and the facilitator’s role is to offer supportive guidance and encourage open discussion about the experience within the group,” Beckie explained.
The program helps participants develop coping mechanisms to prevent future relapses while encouraging them to take ownership of their own recovery process. The goal is to avoid judgmental attitudes and instead focus on helping the participant reflect on what led to the relapse and how they can move forward in a positive way. The group discussions are aimed at providing support and constructive strategies rather than criticism or judgment, taking a non-punitive, learning-oriented approach to addressing relapses so that the participant is equipped with the tools they need when urges or cravings present themselves in the future.
Although the meetings are open to everyone, Bekie explained that SMART Recovery can provide attendance verification for those who are court-ordered to attend a recovery program, even if they are resistant or contemplating whether they have a problem or not. The goal is to encourage these individuals as they attend the meetings, with the hope that they might consider making changes in their lives rather than merely fulfilling a court order. “It doesn’t have to be specific to just drug or alcohol-related offenses; it can be any type of addictive behavior that results in legal action. It could even be a speeding ticket,” Bekie clarified. “Any repeated negative behavior that results in consequences.”
Bekie revealed that online live-streamed SMART Recovery meetings are planned for the future, but for now, she is focused solely on hosting in-person meetings exclusively to ensure participant confidentiality and facilitate camaraderie without the presence of cameras. She expressed the desire to keep live-streamed meetings separate from in-person sessions once they are launched because she doesn’t want the possibility of being visible on camera to dissuade anyone from attending.
In closing, Bekie candidly shared her personal success story with the SMART Recovery program, recounting her 12-year struggle with prescription pain medication. Through the program, she successfully stopped using the medication that was prescribed to her and has successfully maintained her sobriety. However, she later faced a challenging situation when oral surgery necessitated her taking prescription pain medication again, which initially caused her significant anxiety.
To manage this situation, Bekie turned to the SMART Recovery program’s “Change Plan” tool. This approach required her to develop a strategy to prevent a relapse. Her plan was to commit to limiting her use of the pain medication to just three days and to also enlist three people whom she would call daily for seven days to help hold her accountable and provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support.
Bekie credits the SMART Recovery program’s tools with helping her successfully navigate the situation without relapsing into long-term pain medication use, and she said that the experience allowed her to realize that her problem was not the substance itself but rather her thought processes and behaviors related to it. After this experience, she gained a sense of pride in her ability to use the program’s strategies and tools to manage the challenge that the situation presented— a true testament to the program’s effectiveness.
For anyone wondering if SMART Recovery meetings are suitable for their specific addiction or harmful behavior, Bekie says: “The only way to know for sure is to try,” and she encourages anyone who is contemplating to do just that.
For those interested in attending a SMART Recovery meeting or learning more about the program for recovery, Bekie Shimp is happy to provide more information. She can be reached at 570-502-8011 or via email at caasfindingjoy@gmail.com.
Additional details can be found on the Smart Recovery website at www.smartrecovery.org or by visiting the organization’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SmartRecoveryUSA.
Through SMART Recovery, Lock Haven joins a global movement redefining addiction recovery, offering hope and innovative strategies to anyone seeking a fresh start and healthier habits.
