Getting to Know: Lynndee Rainey, Outpatient Therapist at Foundations Nashville
Posted in: Professionals
February 26, 2020
“I learned very, very quickly that if you don’t know something, do not tell your patients that you do because they figure out when you are not being genuine very, very quickly and that will not help your bond.”
Lynndee Rainey knows what she’s talking about. She’s been in the business of addiction recovery since 1993. Rainey is an outpatient therapist at Foundations Nashville. To be sure, the methods of therapy are crucial to the healing process, but as Rainey says, “Cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and others are all really great treatment modalities, and they’re very effectual to this community, but I think – above all else – being present, being genuine, being honest is key.”
Rainey also understands the power of educating her clients on their disease, “The next thing that I think is so important is to make sure people have accurate information and they have tools they can actually use to address their mental health symptoms or the triggers to their substance use. It just has to be ongoing to build that toolkit the entire time they’re in your care.”
“I think – above all else – being present, being genuine, being honest [with your client] is key.”
Helping in the transition out of “bubble-world”
As an outpatient facility, it’s common that Rainey’s clients come from residential treatment and they are reacclimating to life outside of 24/7 care. “I call it ‘bubble world.’ When you’re in residential, you are kind of limited to who you speak with and what’s going on in the world, and their journey so far has been a very self-motivated moment.”
She’s careful not to call it selfish or self-centered, but she acknowledges that it’s a necessary time for the patient to focus on themselves and their needs so that they can begin the healing process. But, she acknowledges, “When one comes back out into the real world, life has continued to move forward.” Rainey and the team at Foundations Nashville help them navigate through their new reality.
The road is bumpy, but not impossible to travel
Oftentimes, after residential treatment, there are consequences that need to be addressed or family members that think you’re fixed. Rainey sees this happen again and again with clients, “They come back and family says, ‘Oh, you’re all better. We can just go back to the routine.’ So there is a need to see if we can help family members understand that’s really not necessarily the case, that no one’s fixed by going to residential care.”
Sometimes the client needs to understand and come to terms with the same sentiment that they haven’t been “fixed” by residential treatment. “There’s an expectation,” Rainey says, “That the individual believes things are going to be peachy keen and they won’t have any problem dealing with the stressors of life, or going back into the work environment, and everything’s going to be healthy and positive and right on track.”
“They come back and family says, ‘Oh, you’re all better. We can just go back to the routine.’ So there is a need to see if we can help family members understand that’s really not necessarily the case, that no one’s fixed by going to residential care.”
She further explains, “Part of this is that we have to help them understand things are going to be bumpy and they need to put into place some things that they know they can use at any given time that will be helpful to them. Those are some of the big things that I see when they’re transitioning from a residential program to us.”
And you’re going to need help along the way
Like many therapists, Rainey stresses the importance of having support from your family or other loved ones in recovery, “I encourage all my patients – whether they have a family who is supportive or not – to find people who do understand what changes this person’s going through – the people who are going to challenge them as well and encourage them to lead a healthier life.”
She notes that support can be found in a variety of places. “That may include family members, it may include their support group if they’re going to 12-Step meetings, or Dharma recovery, or SMART, or Celebrate Recovery or any of those other outlets that can be in their corner.”
“I encourage all my patients – whether they have a family who is supportive or not – to find people who do understand what changes this person’s going through – the people who are going to challenge them as well and encourage them to lead a healthier life.”
Support for the supporters
Truly, no one has to go through addiction recovery alone, not even those who are supporting a loved one in recovery. Rainey and the Foundations Nashville team can help. Significant others who are willing to come in for sessions to understand their loved ones’ recovery can get education or a referral to therapists or to support groups like Al-Anon or PAL (Parents of Addicted Loved Ones). According to Rainey, “I’ll work with whatever they give me. We really encourage that support in some way, shape, or form.”
Learn more about Foundations Nashville.
