A Review of Collegiate Recovery Communities and Recommendations for Implementation on a Small Residential Campus

Abstract

Although the Collegiate Recovery Community is increasingly seen as the treatment modality of choice for students in recovery, relatively few such programs have been established on small residential campuses. In this article we examine the possible reasons for this reluctance and suggest ways in which the standard model for a Collegiate Recovery Community, as represented by its three benchmark programs, can be modified and adapted to better fit the small residential campus environment. We summarize the problem and review the concept of a Collegiate Recovery Community, and we then explain and recommend 1) a bottom-up initiative for planning and 2) scaled-down resource demand and utilization. We provide a 5-point plan for a “bottom-up, scaled-down” Collegiate Recovery Community on a small residential campus.