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As Executive Director Tony Moon noted, "We're moving pretty fast. Between groups, IOP, and our recovery community organization status, we're working on all fronts—from treatment to housing to workforce development."
The challenge
Before adopting Atlas, Rising Sun relied on internally developed curricula and a mix of resources to deliver programming in group and individual settings. While effective in many respects, facilitators often faced challenges:
- Lack of ready-to-use structured content: Clinicians and interns sometimes scrambled to create or print worksheets for group sessions.
- Curriculum gaps: Important topics such as boundaries, relapse prevention, and criminal thinking patterns required more comprehensive, evidence-based coverage.
- Continuity of care: Participants moving between program phases (e.g., from IOP into aftercare) sometimes experienced uneven transitions.
Clinical Director Liz Moon recalled, "As a facilitator, you're having to just come up with a topic for a group. Sometimes you feel like you're scrambling to put something together. Atlas takes a lot of the guesswork out. It's right there, ready-made."
The Atlas approach
Rising Sun adopted Atlas after learning about its strong alignment with evidence-based practices like CBT, motivational interviewing, and the stages of change. They rolled it out gradually, beginning with group facilitation and later incorporating it into individual sessions and recovery housing.
Key strategies included:
- Embedding Atlas into group sessions: Clients brought their phones into group, completed journal prompts, and shared answers aloud—sparking peer learning. "It gets them engaged in thinking about things in different ways… and they're learning from each other," said Liz.
- Leveraging AI-driven progress summaries: Treatment staff reviewed Atlas-generated summaries to validate observations and tailor support. "It makes me feel like I'm on track with what's going on with a client," Liz noted.
- Supporting new facilitators: Interns found Atlas invaluable as a structured teaching tool, while seasoned facilitators customized modules by adding supplemental discussions.
- Continuity of care across phases: Clients familiar with Atlas during IOP transitioned seamlessly into aftercare groups, immediately engaging with content.
- Treatment team integration: Atlas helped peer staff identify when clients raised mental health or medication issues, facilitating "warm handoffs" to clinical staff for further care.
Outcomes: Increased engagement and enhanced treatment planning
Although implementation is still in its early months, Rising Sun is already reporting significant benefits:
- Treatment plan alignment: Liz estimated Atlas plays a role in treatment plan achievement for 15 or more of every 20 clients—particularly in areas like healthy relationships, recovery maintenance, and life skills.
- Stronger group facilitation: Clients are more engaged and discussions are richer, with participants reflecting on and learning from one another's Journal entries.
- Improved staff efficiency and confidence: Atlas reduces facilitator prep time, making it easier for interns and new staff to lead effective groups.
- Continuity of care: Clients moving from IOP into recovery housing adapt more quickly and engage more deeply thanks to their familiarity with the Atlas format.
- Clinical insight: Progress summaries tied to stages of change provide Rising Sun staff with a consistent framework for understanding client readiness and progress.
Tony emphasized the system's practical impact: "As a peer, if something comes up that's beyond my scope, Atlas allows me to communicate with the team so we can address it right away. It helps us tailor care to the individual."
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