The Trait-Based Model of Recovery is a strengths-based approach which Identifies leadership and other personality traits and builds upon internal strength to establish goals and opportunities for personal and social enhancement. 

By integrating solutions-focused therapy, entrepreneurial opportunities, and leadership development, this model aims to facilitate clients' reconnection with their communities, enhance their self-confidence, and foster increased hope and commitment. Instead of dwelling on weaknesses or challenges, this approach highlights the positive attributes of clients, empowering them to chart their own unique path to recovery. 

It is aligned with the principles of mental health recovery, emphasizing individuals' capabilities and assisting them in cultivating self-assurance. This model recognizes that each person possesses distinct strengths and abilities that can be harnessed throughout their recovery process.

Trait-Identification: Participants of this model will learn about the 10 leadership and other personality and character traits people with SUD have (Roop, 2022), and understand how to use their traits productively as opposed to destructively. This understanding leads to better self-understanding, creative thinking, social intelligence, and improved recovery outcomes (Rodrigues, 2019). 

Solutions-Focused Therapy: The integration of both clinical and peer-led support focuses on recognizing and building upon the strengths and resources that clients already possess. Included as a foundational component of our model is a regular practice of mindfulness and reflection which allows participants to remain focused on developing theirselves and establishing more meaningful social connections. 

Entrepreneurial Opportunities: Recent research (Roop, 2023) has suggested people with SUD are often creative and determined individuals. There is currently a gap in aftercare services which leave participants in vulnerable situations which threaten their sobriety. Graduates from our leadership academy will be connected with the local business and nonprofit community to identify areas of need for new business or nonprofit ventures. resources. This model offers clients the chance to develop entrepreneurial skills, fostering the creation of careers and a sense of purpose in their lives.

Leadership development: The model builds upon the understanding that people with SUD and effective leaders share many of the same personality and character traits (Roop, 2022). Participants are taught how their traits make them transformative leaders, impacting and inspiring others to move forward with authenticity, transparency, and collaboration. This deepens social engagement and improves organizational culture. 

Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach in promoting recovery outcomes. A study published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (Roop, 2022) revealed that clients who used this approach were more likely to achieve abstinence and sustain their recovery compared to those who received traditional treatment methods.

If you are currently grappling with substance use disorder, we encourage you to explore this model further. During the pilot phase, participation will be reserved to clients within treatment, reentry, or family court programs. Future phases will allow for self-paced enrollment, assessment, and completion.

Dr. Jason Roop spent 17 years in active addiction and would ultimately become homeless before entering recovery in 2013. Since then, he has earned his master of theology degree in 2018 and in 2022 completed his Ph.D. in Business Management with a specialization in Leadership. He was recently appointed to the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission by the KY Attorney General and serves as Vice President of Research and Development for Hometown Health System, Professor of Business and Theology for Lander University and Campbellsville University, and founder of the Center for Trait-Based Transformation.

Dr. Roop’s research interests focus on the positive qualities and traits found in people with substance use disorder. His work is changing how people view addiction through understanding the underlying traits which provide a pathway for effective approaches to treatment while introducing dignity, self respect, hope, and purpose for the recovery journey.

Contributing Researcher

Dr. Eric Carter, Assistant Vice President of Student Success at Lindsey-Wilson College,  received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Carson Newman University. He went on to receive his Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Marshall University, and his PhD in Sociology from Kansas State University. Dr. Carter focused on the sociology of work and labor markets, social change, social stratification, and the sociology of sport and deviance.

Dr. Carter’s dissertation, titled, Failing at Success, investigated the social determinants of deviance (e.g., substance abuse and associated destructive behaviors) in the National Football League. He is currently a professor of sociology and the Assistant Vice President of Student Success at Lindsey Wilson College.

Dr. Carter is the author of the book, Boys Gone Wild: Fame, Fortune, and Deviance Among Professional Football Players. He is also involved in research and consults in the areas of substance use disorder, sports and culture, student success, culturally responsive pedagogy, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.