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Shannon says praise for small goals aided recovery in Ashtabula County Mental Health Court
Summary
Shannon, a participant in Ashtabula County Mental Health Court, told the hearing that court staff set small weekly goals and praised progress, which helped her navigate early sobriety and access services.
Shannon, a participant in Ashtabula County Mental Health Court, said the program’s practice of setting small, achievable goals and offering praise helped her stick with recovery and access services she otherwise found difficult to reach.
"It was hard in my early sobriety just to be able to fill out a form or pick up a phone and make an appointment for myself," Shannon said, describing concrete barriers people face when they begin treatment. She said court staff would set weekly goals and, when she returned the next week having met them, "they would praise me for that" — a form of encouragement she called important.
Shannon said the praise was not "a huge deal" but was presented as meaningful recognition of progress, which she and she said many others in recovery need to stay on track. She described the weekly goals as "small achievable goals" that made forward steps feel attainable.
Her remarks were a short, personal testimony about the court’s day-to-day supports rather than a proposal for a policy change or a request for formal action in this record. The transcript of the remarks renders the program name slightly differently; the record here uses the corrected local name, Ashtabula County Mental Health Court, consistent with known local spelling.
