📝 Worksheet 7.5: Relapse, Crisis, and Referral Wisdom

Purpose of This Worksheet

This worksheet helps you practice calm, wise, Christ-centered responses when a recovering person relapses, enters crisis, asks for secrecy, expresses suicidal thoughts, faces overdose risk, or needs referral beyond the chaplain role.

Addiction Recovery Chaplains do not serve as therapists, treatment providers, sponsors, emergency responders, or case managers. They serve as steady Christian presences who protect dignity, clarify limits, pray by permission, encourage honesty, and help people connect with the right support.

Use this worksheet for personal reflection, ministry preparation, and field readiness.

Part 1: Key Concept Review

1. Relapse Is Serious, but It Is Not the Whole Story

Fill in the blanks:

A relapse should not be treated as “no big deal,” but it should also not be used to define the person’s entire __________________________.

A person who relapses is still an embodied soul made in the image of __________________________.

The chaplain’s role is to respond with calm presence, truth, dignity, and __________________________ wisdom.

2. The Chaplain’s First Response

Check the responses that would be helpful when someone says, “I relapsed.”

☐ “Thank you for telling me. I know that was hard to say.”

☐ “How could you do this after all your progress?”

☐ “Let’s slow down and make sure you are safe.”

☐ “I promise I will never tell anyone.”

☐ “This is serious, but you are not beyond help.”

☐ “Let’s think about the next faithful step.”

Reflection:

Which response would be hardest for you to say calmly?

Why?

Part 2: Confidentiality with Limits

A recovering person says:

“Please don’t tell anyone I relapsed. I just needed to tell one person.”

Write a wise chaplain response that honors privacy without promising absolute secrecy.

Now complete this sentence:

“I want to respect your dignity and privacy, but if there is danger to you or someone else, I may need to __________________________.”

Part 3: Safety Assessment Practice

When relapse is disclosed, the chaplain should calmly assess immediate safety.

Safety Questions to Practice

Write your own words for asking each question.

1. Current intoxication

“Are you under the influence right now?”

Your wording:

2. Overdose risk

“Do you know what you took and how much?”

Your wording:

3. Suicidal thoughts

“Are you thinking about harming yourself?”

Your wording:

4. Being alone

“Are you going to be alone tonight?”

Your wording:

5. Impaired driving

“Are you planning to drive?”

Your wording:

6. Recovery support

“Have you contacted your sponsor or recovery leader?”

Your wording:

Part 4: Boundary Check Scenarios

Read each scenario and mark the best response.

Scenario 1: “Just keep this between us.”

A person tells you they relapsed but insists that you not tell their sponsor.

Best response:

☐ A. Promise secrecy so the person keeps trusting you.

☐ B. Shame the person so they understand the seriousness.

☐ C. Clarify confidentiality limits and encourage sponsor contact.

☐ D. Tell the whole recovery group immediately.

Why?

Scenario 2: “I don’t know what I took.”

A person says they used pills from someone else and now feels strange.

Best response:

☐ A. Pray only and wait to see if they improve.

☐ B. Treat possible overdose risk seriously and seek medical help.

☐ C. Ask them to sleep it off.

☐ D. Tell them they should have known better.

Why?

Scenario 3: “Everyone would be better off without me.”

A recovering person says this after a relapse.

Best response:

☐ A. Say, “Don’t talk like that,” and change the subject.

☐ B. Tell them they are being dramatic.

☐ C. Ask directly about self-harm or suicide and seek appropriate help.

☐ D. Promise not to tell anyone if they calm down.

Why?

Scenario 4: “Can you just be my main person?”

A person says their sponsor is too hard on them and wants to call you instead.

Best response:

☐ A. Agree, because spiritual care is more important than sponsorship.

☐ B. Become their private support person so they feel safe.

☐ C. Encourage honest communication with the sponsor and avoid replacing recovery accountability.

☐ D. Tell them sponsors are not necessary if they have Jesus.

Why?

Scenario 5: “I need Jesus right now.”

A person in crisis asks to pray to Jesus but may also be in medical danger.

Best response:

☐ A. Pray and delay emergency care until after a long spiritual conversation.

☐ B. Refuse to pray until professionals arrive.

☐ C. Honor the request to pray while also seeking necessary help.

☐ D. Tell them prayer will solve the whole recovery problem.

Why?

Part 5: Practice Phrases

Write or copy phrases you could actually use in ministry.

When someone relapses:

“__________________________________________________________________”

When someone asks for secrecy:

“__________________________________________________________________”

When someone may be suicidal:

“__________________________________________________________________”

When someone may have overdosed:

“__________________________________________________________________”

When someone wants to avoid their sponsor:

“__________________________________________________________________”

When someone wants prayer:

“__________________________________________________________________”

When referral is needed:

“__________________________________________________________________”

Part 6: Referral Wisdom

Chaplain Role Reminder

Complete the following:

An Addiction Recovery Chaplain is not a:

An Addiction Recovery Chaplain can offer:

When Referral Is Needed

Check the situations that likely require referral, emergency support, or appropriate escalation.

☐ Possible overdose

☐ Suicidal intent

☐ Severe withdrawal

☐ Medical questions

☐ Domestic violence

☐ Danger to a child

☐ Treatment placement questions

☐ Impaired driving

☐ Threats toward another person

☐ A person wants brief prayer after a stable recovery meeting

☐ A person asks for help contacting their sponsor

☐ A person is unconscious or hard to wake

Reflection:

Which referral situation feels most intimidating to you?

What support pathway should you know before serving in this setting?

Part 7: Local Ministry Application

Think about your local church, Soul Center, recovery ministry, or community setting.

Emergency Pathways I Need to Know

Write down the appropriate contact or process for each area.

Emergency medical services:

Suicide or crisis support:

Pastor or church leader:

Recovery group leader:

Sponsor contact process:

Treatment or recovery program referral:

Domestic violence support pathway:

Child or vulnerable adult safety reporting pathway:

Ministry supervisor or chaplain leader:

Setting-Specific Questions

Answer briefly.

What kind of addiction recovery parish or setting am I most likely to serve?

What permission structures exist in this setting?

Who has responsibility for safety in this setting?

What boundaries must remain clear?

What could become intrusive, unsafe, or confusing?

Part 8: Prayer and Scripture by Permission

Prayer Practice

Write a short prayer you could use when someone has relapsed and feels ashamed.

Write a short prayer you could use when someone is in crisis and emergency help is being contacted.

Scripture Practice

Choose one short Scripture from Topic 7 that could be shared gently in crisis.

Scripture reference:

Write the verse or key phrase:

How would you ask permission before sharing it?

Part 9: Personal Discernment

Relapse and crisis ministry can stir strong emotions in the chaplain.

Check any temptations you may need to watch for.

☐ Wanting to rescue

☐ Feeling responsible for another person’s recovery

☐ Avoiding hard questions

☐ Overpromising availability

☐ Being afraid someone will be angry if I involve help

☐ Confusing privacy with secrecy

☐ Wanting to be the preferred helper

☐ Feeling discouraged when someone relapses

☐ Becoming harsh because I feel disappointed

☐ Avoiding debriefing or supervision

Write one boundary you need to strengthen:

Write one kind of support you need as a chaplain:

Part 10: Calling and Readiness Reflection

Answer these honestly.

1. What did Topic 7 teach me about relapse?

2. What did Topic 7 teach me about crisis?

3. What did Topic 7 teach me about my limits?

4. What did Topic 7 teach me about Christ-centered hope?

5. What is one “next faithful step” I need to take before serving in relapse or crisis situations?

Closing Formation Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Make me calm in moments of fear.
Make me truthful without harshness.
Make me compassionate without becoming controlling.
Make me wise when safety is at risk.
Help me protect dignity, ask good questions, and bring the right support near.
Teach me to pray with humility and act with courage.
Keep me from false secrecy, panic, rescue behavior, and pride.
Help me remember that every person in relapse or crisis is an embodied soul made in your image.
Use me as a faithful presence, not as a savior.
Lead me in the next faithful step.

Amen.