billypenn.com profiles RHD’s Morris Home: ‘What Valentine’s Day means in a West Philly rehab facility’
February 14, 2018
Billypenn.com profiled RHD’s Morris Home on Valentine’s Day, noting that for people in recovery, the holidays can be particularly challenging — and looking at how Morris Home meets those challenges with caring, compassionate support:
Every year, Morris Home plans special programming for Valentine’s Day. The staff takes the holiday as an opportunity to teach self-love, especially as it pertains to recovery. And with her boyfriend’s death so fresh on her mind, Regalbuto hopes to spend this Valentine’s Day loving herself.
“It’s not bad for me, because I’m a trying to learn how to let go and live life,” Regalbuto said. “I know he’s happy because I’m doing the right thing. I’m off drugs. I know he’s watching my every move.”
Sorensen said she loves to see residents bring their past holiday traditions to Morris Home. It can help smooth the transition to celebrating without using substances.
“A lot of the folks that we serve at Morris Home are facing a lot of things that feel like the opposite of love,” Sorensen said. “A really important thing we can do is focus on the fact that everyone who lives here deserves to be loved and is worthy of love.”
Morris Home supports trans and gender variant individuals as they develop the knowledge, skills and supports necessary to promote sobriety, manage emotional and behavioral difficulties, choose and maintain safe and healthy lifestyles, and develop healthy relationships with peers, family and the community. Morris Home provides a safe, recovery-oriented environment for individuals in transition from one gender to another, or those with other gender variants who may be coming from “the streets” and/or from shelter programs.