Beartooth Offers Trades Skills Training
For Men Recovering From Addiction

Proper life skills are essential to young men’s emotional and mental development into adulthood. Without them, young men do not understand how vital the virtues of trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, and responsibility are to their happiness. We would even go as far as to say that without particular virtues & life skills, it becomes increasingly difficult for any young person to live a whole, happy, healthy, and engaged life. But what do we consider ‘life skills,’ and how can we teach struggling youth about their importance while in our care?

Men struggling with emotional, mental health, and addiction issues have likely lost sight of the life skills they learned in adolescence. Others may not have even begun to learn these skills at all. What are life skills necessary for every person to know, regardless of age?

• Respect & Building Healthy Relationships

These two fundamental life principles help build upon countless other life skills necessary for survival and happiness. Skills like:

• Problem Solving
• Effective Communication 
• Money Management
• Time Management
• Self-Awareness
• Personal Boundaries

These life skills should be regarded as important as academics. This is why we make it a point to teach the above life skills and other job skills in the Young Adult Life Skills Training Program at Beartooth Men’s Rehab. In this faith-based program, we can help young men learn more about themselves, others around them, the strengths and weaknesses they possess, and much more.

A New Way of Learning Life Skills

Where do we begin when teaching life skills? Many of the skills listed above are taught over time. It takes time to develop self-awareness and an understanding of healthy personal boundaries. Time management, money management, and effective communication come from practice and persistence. Before teaching any individual important life skills, we must first establish respect. By cultivating respect for self and others, we can reach these young men on a level they might not have thought they could reach. By treating each young man with dignity and respect, we can teach these young men that respect comes in two forms:

• Respect for oneself
• Respect for those around you

Respect is the foundation of much of the emotional and physical work young adult men ages 18-30 do here at Beartooth Men’s Rehab. Although these men may not immediately see how these two forms of respect are necessary for all other learning, they will start to see how respect in its various forms is interconnected. By showing respect for others, the animals they care for on the ranch, and the natural environment around them, they will eventually gain a more profound respect for themselves. Without respect, it’s difficult and often impossible to empathize with others, achieve personal awareness, and continue to develop other essential life skills. 

Over time, once respect has become part of their daily lives, it’s easier to show these young men how to build healthy relationships and understand when relationships either need work or are unhealthy. To help them build a better future for themselves, they will learn to develop ways to balance their self-interest and needs with the interest and needs of those they interact with. By creating a pathway to greater social interactions, young men learn new and better ways to communicate, problem-solve with others, and be teammates versus disinterested individuals.

Becoming a Mature Adult Man

The Beartooth Men’s Rehab life skills training program focuses on the idea that becoming a more balanced person will help each young man overcome the behavioral problems in his life. The lifestyle balance and personal accomplishment that men achieve from our life skills training program help them develop confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of passion and purpose. What do we focus on in our life skills training program?

• Routine Management: A daily routine is a highly effective tool to help young men overcome various behavioral issues. Routines build healthy habits and stability in a life that has otherwise been chaotic through addiction and emotional problems. Through careful planning and the development of time management skills, we can show young men the importance of daily rituals and routines.
• Social Skills: Every day in the program is a day to build connections. Improving a young man’s social skills is a major aspect of long-lasting recovery. It helps them build self-esteem, cope with stress, effectively communicate their needs and feelings, and listen actively to those around them.
• Personal Skills: he foundation of life skills training is the improvement of the basic skills and activities crucial to living an independent and productive life. Eating well, better hygiene, exercise, managing money, and a solid work ethic are all skills we try to instill in young men before they leave us.
• Professional & Vocational Skills: Each day in the program is a day we can help these young men discover what they’re good at and what they have a talent and passion for. By giving them the personal skills to seek out meaningful work after they’ve finished recovery effectively, each young man can transition back into their life with relative ease. They can choose to seek financial independence, stability of work, and productivity in their lives.
• Communication: Every day is filled with opportunities to communicate positively. Effective communication is difficult at first, but these men will develop new ways to seek out respectful conversations and express themselves in healthy ways.
• Anger Management: Many young men come to us with severe anger issues. We understand that developing ways to cope with anger and aggressive thoughts and behaviors is a skill that needs to be cultivated. We work on helping men discover how to process their emotions positively without using physical or verbal aggression.
• Negotiation & Compromise: Most young men with emotional problems cannot understand the value of negotiating and compromising. By working on our ranch, they’ll quickly learn how to use both to create “win-win” situations with their peers.

Learning From God’s Creation

Unlike many other life skills programs, our Catholic-based addiction sober recovery program at Beartooth Men’s Rehab uses the teachings of Christ to help each struggling young man gain a greater understanding of:

• Generosity
• Contribution
• Joy
• Service to others

Our ultimate goal is to give each young man fundamental life skills and instill in them the appreciation of the Christian life. This means showing generosity, contributing to their community, or serving others with joy. Pope John Paul understood the importance of these vital life skills and the importance of helping others over yourself only. He captured this principle in his statement: 

”One can only discover who they truly are, by giving the sincere gift of themselves for the good of others.”

What They Learn on Our Recovery Ranch

While at Beartooth Men’s Rehab, we will help participants learn more about themselves and the gifts they possess—and those they need to learn—to serve others better, know themselves, and find personal fulfillment. The following five areas are the important life skills we want to impart to the young adult men in our program:

• A deeper understanding of respect and the connection it has to all things in life.
• The nature of generosity and kindness in relationships.
• Positive interactions with mentors, peers, loved ones, and the environment around them.

CALL FOR HELP TODAY!

307-899-3424

If you know of a young adult man who struggles with addiction or other behavioral issues, don’t hesitate to give us a call today. We understand how difficult it is to take this first step, but the most incredible thing you can do for your son or loved one is to give them a second chance to learn the skills that will keep them safe, healthy, and happy as they continue through their adult life. At Beartooth Men’s Rehab, we help can help your young adult man reach his fullest potential and establish a foundation of character that will support him for a lifetime.