CoDA meetings are a safe place to share your feelings and experience with others who understand what you’re going through. They also offer a program of anonymity.
Meetings are usually about an hour and a half long, with someone welcoming you when you arrive. There may be a speaker, or a reading from the Steps or Traditions or Recovery Patterns of Codependence.
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How to find a meeting
CoDA (Codependents Anonymous) meetings are a great way to make new friends and learn about recovery strategies. Depending on your location, you can find a meeting near you or attend one online. If you want to participate in a virtual coda meeting, the best way to go about it is to check out the Coda Worldwide Meeting Locator.
The aforementioned website also has a number of other useful tidbits. In particular, it has an interactive map showing upcoming meetings in your area. The website even has a nifty feature that allows you to export past meeting information in the form of a CSV file. Other cool tidbits include a video of the meeting in progress and a list of all the participants, with their phone numbers. The site also has a number of nifty-looking buttons that you can click to sign up for free trials or other services. If you’re considering a virtual coda meeting, you may wish to take some time to read the fine print and make sure that your internet connection is up to the task.
What to expect at a meeting
Whether it’s an online or offline meeting, a coda meeting is a safe place for people in recovery to share their feelings and experiences. They also offer recovery strategies and help you learn about other groups in your area.
Meetings vary, but they generally last about an hour. Some are free form, where you can ask questions and listen to others sharing their stories. Other meetings use a sign-up list of first names, with phone numbers, to call someone after the meeting for further information.
Some meetings feature speakers who share their personal story of recovery. Speakers often discuss how they made changes in their lives and how they are motivated by the steps of CoDA’s 12-step program.
Regardless of the type of meeting, attendees should be prepared to stay focused and adjust their body language. This will help keep the meeting on-topic and ensure everyone’s needs are met.
How to join a meeting
Coda meetings are 12-step group sessions that meet in a variety of formats. They are open to anyone, and can be held either on-site or online.
Individuals who attend these meetings can share their experiences with others, and can also learn recovery strategies. They are usually facilitated by someone who has experienced a similar situation.
Participants can join a meeting from the Zoom app on their computer or directly in the browser. There are a couple ways to do this, but there isn’t a universal way to do it.
To join from a browser, locate the meeting invite link in an email or calendar invitation and click it to join. You can also manually download the desktop client and enter the meeting ID, if you have it. Choose whether to use your default name or provide a display name if you want to show up on the meeting leader’s side of the screen. If you want to use your microphone and camera, select Allow from the pop-up window.
What to expect after a meeting
After a productive meeting, it’s important to make sure that action items are completed and that everyone has the information they need to move forward. This can be achieved through email follow up and a summary of the meeting notes.
A good way to do this is by including the overall agenda and key takeaways in your email recap. This makes it easy for team members to remember what was discussed and how they can apply the information to their work.
Another thing to look out for is whether your team has agreed to a deadline or a task that needs to be completed by the next meeting. If you haven’t, it may be time to consider scheduling a new meeting.
Finally, it’s important to define the specific action item so that meeting attendees can clearly understand what needs to be done and by when. For example, if you’re assigning someone to take inventory of items on the floor and in storage, be sure to check in with them out loud to confirm they know what it is that needs to be done.