Our approach - Soilse

Our definition of addiction
Soilse defines addiction as dependence on any legal or illegal drug which harms the physical, mental, emotional and social well being of the individual, group or society.

Our approach to addiction rehabilitation
Dealing with addiction is our primary goal in rehabilitation. We do this by applying an adult learning methodology. Adult education focuses on the participant and group, and uses the experiences of the individual as the subject of learning. It encourages critical reflection and personal development and is based on an ethos of trust, respect and honesty. An adult education approach uses the interaction between learner and facilitator to understand the process of addiction, how it affects the person and how dependency on drugs can be dismantled. This, in turn, empowers individuals to be self-realising and self-directed in their lives.

Our programme

Our programme takes account of the effects of drug use and addiction on the learning capacity and experience of participants. It is structured around the following learning areas:

  • Addiction and rehabilitation information and education – the cornerstone of our programme
  • Life skills and personal and social development – building self-esteem and communication skills
  • Literacy – assessment, support and referral to specialist agencies if needed
  • Social analysis – understanding the social and cultural aspects of addiction
  • Health and fitness – focusing on diet, stress management and gym work
  • Creative development – mainly through art, woodwork and ceramics
  • Career guidance – providing information on further education and training, and help with college applications
  • Personal exploration – looking at attitudes, behaviour, relationships, coping mechanisms, relapse

Care planning
Recovery from addiction involves change. This means dealing with:

  • issues that were neglected while the person was abusing drugs, and
  • obstacles that come up during early recovery.

At Soilse, we help participants put together a personal recovery care plan. This may address issues and obstacles such as accommodation, health, relationship difficulties, incomplete education, relapse, poverty and low self-esteem.

Service user involvement

We actively encourage participants to give feedback on the Soilse programme which we use to improve the quality of the programme for current and future service users. Participants can voice their views through:

  • regular community meetings
  • group representatives
  • regular evaluations of groups and sessions. 

Research and references