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The Weekly Check-In

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Weekly Check-In โ€” Arizona Family Institute
Arizona Family Institute
Dan Oakes MEd LPC CSAT
Relational Recovery Model

Weekly
Check-In

This is two minutes of honesty before group. Not a test. Not a score. Just a look at where you are and what you've been doing.

Open the Check-In Form โ†’ Opens in a new tab ยท Works on your phone

Recovery isn't just about what you didn't do this week. It's about what you did โ€” whether you reached toward someone when it was hard, whether you stayed in your body when an urge came through, whether you were honest about how connected you actually feel.

These three things โ€” reaching out, processing urges, and noticing your connection โ€” are the work. This form tracks them. Fill it out before you come into group, or right when you arrive.

What you put here is yours. It's also data โ€” not judgment โ€” about where healing is actually happening.

What We Measure
Three things. That's it.
01
Reaches
How many times did you reach out to another person this week? A text counts. A call counts. In person counts. Any honest contact where you moved toward someone instead of away โ€” that's a reach.
02
NOW Practices
How many complete NOW practices did you do? One practice = Notice + Observe + Watch + written reflection. The writing matters. It's the integration. Mindfulness without the reflection doesn't count as complete.
03
Connection Rating โ€” Two Snapshots
You'll rate your connection on a 1โ€“10 scale twice. Once for right now, walking into group today. Once for your week overall. Five is baseline โ€” functional, basic connection. Ten is genuinely strong. One is high isolation. Both matter. They're often different numbers, and that gap tells us something.
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Quick Reference
The NOW Practice
N
Notice
Notice the urge โ€” the time, the place, and its intensity. Name what is happening right now.
O
Observe
Observe the sensations and feelings in the body. Where do you feel it? What does it actually feel like?
W
Watch & Wait
Watch the sensations and images change. Stay present. Don't fight, don't flee โ€” just watch.

Then write. What triggered it. What you felt in your body. What happened when you stayed with it. The writing is the top-down integration that completes the practice. One full loop = one complete NOW practice.

How To Use This
Before you fill it out
  1. Fill this out before group or right when you arrive โ€” not the night before, not from memory three days later. The point is honesty in the moment.
  2. The connection ratings are not about performing wellness. A 3 is useful data. A 2 is useful data. Give the number that's actually true.
  3. For the NOW practice reflection, one paragraph is enough. You're not writing an essay. Just: what triggered it, what you noticed, what happened when you stayed with it.
  4. Your responses go to Dan so he can track your progress over time. This is clinical data, not a report card. It helps him see what's actually happening week to week.
The Form
Ready when you are

Takes about two to three minutes. Be honest. That's the whole assignment.

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Weekly Check-In Form

Fill this out before group โ€” or right when you walk in. Your name, your numbers, one honest paragraph. That's it.

Open the Check-In Form โ†’

Opens in a new tab ยท Works on your phone