This book helps those aspiring toward recovery and also those in recovery, because it addresses and challenges the individual-in very real, basic and honest ways to make significant cognitive adjustments in how they live their lives. The beauty of this curriculum is that people like to do it and don't consider it a chore, a demand, or a requirement, because every page subtly encourages the individual to think in realistic and forward-moving ways. This allows them to feel good about doing the work.
I based this book on my personal life and recovery, and every page has been used successfully in peer group settings.
"Although the journey of recovery unfolds differently for each person, exploring and sharing experiences and coping strategies can help people know they are not alone. Better Days: A Mental Health Recovery Workbook provides a structure for someone to sort through what they do for themselves now and what new ways they might care for themselves. The optimistic and hopeful messages that serve as the introduction to each section can be used equally well in a group or individually for reflecting on life, on challenges, and on the meaning and process of recovery. While not yet widely used, Better Days holds promise as a useful tool for people in recovery."
Patricia B. Nemec, PsyD, CRC, CPRP
"I believe that what Craig Lewis offers with Better Days: A Mental Health Recovery Workbook is an indispensable tool for those seeking real recovery. Craig comes from the place of first-hand knowledge of how it feels to go through the suffering, and also how it feels to break through to the other side and feel the joy of life in the midst of all its challenges. As someone who has worked in the field for many years, I have a deep appreciation of the way that Craig cuts through to the immediate needs of the person trying to change. Craig provides a simple but elegant template for healing. I am proud to call Craig colleague, friend and fellow traveler on the recovery path."
Stephen Dansiger, PsyD, MFT
Chief Clinical Director, BLVD Centers
Founder and Publisher, StartAgain
"Craig Lewis had written the Better Days Recovery Workbook to help his fellow peers in their recovery from mental health struggles and addictions. I have been privileged to have met Craig years ago and know of the great work he did running the Better Days support groups at the Boston Resource Center, an organization that I co-founded. We all have had times in our lives when we have felt down or depressed. This workbook is something that one can pick up and immediately find something of interest that will raise one's spirits. This workbook is also excellent for people who are leading support or other peer groups."
Howard D. Trachtman, BS, CPS, CPRP
Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community and Southeast Recovery Learning Community Leadership Team and Director of Constituent Affairs
"Craig's workbook shares his heart felt experiences of his journey in recovery. I taught a class using this workbook to a group of people in recovery at the B.U. Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Education Program and it was warmly accepted. The group felt inspired in their own recovery as a result of using this workbook. The Better Days Workbook should be an essential part of any recovery program."
Leonard Mulcahy BA, CPT, CPRP, CPS
Fitness Coordinator
Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation