You have a busy life, and sometimes your schedule won’t let you attend a regular weekly meeting with your local Celebrate Recovery ministry.
Instead of missing a week of education and inspiration to help you on your journey of sobriety, you can attend an online Celebrate Recovery meeting to get the support you need on the go!
You might be wondering what Celebrate Recovery is, so we put together some some important information that you should keep in mind to ensure your online Celebrate Recovery meeting is as efficient as possible so you and other participants can get the most out of your online meeting time.
How Do Online Celebrate Recovery Meetings Work?
An online Celebrate Recovery meeting is divided into two parts. The first portion is a mixed-gender session where participants must wear headphones but may keep their cameras off for added privacy.
This section focuses on general recovery topics and community announcements. Following this, participants break into gender-specific rooms to share personal experiences and support.
In these breakout rooms, cameras must be turned on, and headphones should remain in use. If your camera is off in these gender-specific groups, you will be removed to maintain a secure and supportive environment.
Celebrate Recovery Meeting Guidelines
Online meetings are a great way to connect with your CR group, even if you don’t have time to meet in person. Even as a virtual meeting, all participants are expected to follow the same guidelines to ensure each Celebrate Recovery meeting is safe and productive for all participants.
Please refresh yourself on the basic meeting guidelines that all participants are expected to follow:
- Keep your sharing focused on your own thoughts and feelings. Limit your sharing to three to five minutes.
- There is NO cross-talk. Cross-talk is when two people engage in conversation, excluding all others. Each person is free to express his or her feelings without interruptions.
- We are here to support one another, not “fix” one another.
- Anonymity and confidentiality are basic requirements. What is shared in the group stays in the group. The only exception is when someone threatens to injure themselves or others.
- Offensive language has no place in a Christ-centered recovery group.
These guidelines offer a safe place for everyone to address their hurts, habits, and hang-ups.
In addition, online meeting participants are expected to follow additional guidelines and etiquette to create a great environment for online CR meetings.
Etiquette Tips For Your Online Celebrate Recovery Meeting
While online meetings provide greater accessibility, they can also offer a new set of challenges not experienced in a traditional Celebrate Recovery meeting. We do everything we can to ensure your experience with Celebrate Recovery online meetings are positive and support your recovery.
By adhering to these principles, we create a positive and productive environment that mirrors the supportive nature of our in-person gatherings.
Let’s take a look at a few points of etiquette to keep in mind as you enter an online Celebrate Recovery meeting to ensure you can have a safe, confidential, and productive online meeting.
1. You Must Wear Headphones
All members are required to wear headphones during our online Celebrate Recovery meetings. This is to ensure that conversations remain private and confidential, preventing anyone outside the group from overhearing what is shared.
Headphones help create a safe space where participants can speak freely and openly, knowing that their privacy is protected.
Your cooperation in wearing headphones is essential to maintaining the trust and integrity of our group.
2. You Must Be On Camera
For a safer and more connected Celebrate Recovery meeting, all members must be on camera. This fosters trust and accountability among participants.
Seeing each other’s faces helps build a supportive community and ensures everyone is present and engaged.
Additionally, if the group leader asks, participants must show that no one else is in the room to maintain confidentiality and create a secure environment for sharing.
3. Choose A Quiet Place Where You Can Be Alone
All members must choose a quiet place to participate in online Celebrate Recovery meetings. Distractions can detract from the experience for everyone, making it harder to focus and share openly.
It is essential that participants are alone in the room and wearing headphones to ensure confidentiality and minimize disruptions.
Creating a quiet, private space helps maintain the integrity of the meeting, allowing everyone to fully engage in their recovery journey.
4. Mute Yourself When Not Speaking
To ensure a smooth and respectful Celebrate Recovery meeting, all members must mute their microphones when not speaking. Unmuted microphones can create distractions and lead to cross-talk, disrupting the meeting flow.
Everyone must have the time to share their emotions without interruptions. Please mute yourself before the meeting starts to minimize background noise, and continue to stay muted until it’s your turn to speak.
This demonstrates good online etiquette and keeps the discussion focused and orderly.
5. No Multitasking During A Meeting
You are expected to avoid engaging in other activities during an online meeting, such as checking texts, emails, or mobile apps.
Multitasking can distract you and others, causing you to miss crucial opportunities for engagement and growth. Just as multitasking is not accepted in in-person meetings, it is also not online.
Maintaining focus ensures you fully benefit from the meeting and fosters understanding and respect for the speakers and fellow attendees, creating a more supportive and cooperative environment for everyone.
6. Rename Yourself When You Enter The Online Meeting Room
To protect your anonymity in online Celebrate Recovery meetings, please rename yourself using only your first name and last initial upon entering the room.
This practice helps maintain privacy while still allowing for a personal connection among participants.
Anonymity is a core principle of our community, ensuring a safe and confidential environment for everyone to share and support one another without concern for personal exposure.
7. Join The Meeting On Time
Joining a Celebrate Recovery meeting on time is a sign of respect and commitment. Punctuality demonstrates your dedication to the meeting and respect for other attendees’ time.
If you arrive early before the start of your meeting, you will be placed in a waiting room until the host(s) invite you into the meeting room.
Get The Most Out Of Your Celebrate Recovery Online Meetings!
Attending online Celebrate Recovery meetings can be a valuable and flexible option to maintain your journey of sobriety, even with a busy schedule.
By following these guidelines and etiquette tips, you contribute to a productive, supportive, and safe environment for everyone involved.
Join us in-person every Monday, watch online, or you can use this tool to find a local Celebrate Recovery meeting near you!