Co-Dependents Anonymous

Domain V · Systemic, relational, group & community · 1986 · Phoenix, Arizona, USA

What it is

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) is a peer-run Twelve Step mutual-aid fellowship for people who want healthy, loving relationships; that desire is the only membership requirement. It was founded in 1986 (first meeting 22 October 1986 in Phoenix, Arizona, about 30 people; it grew to 120 groups by year…

Format

• CoDA publishes no clinical phases or session count; recovery is described as lifelong and self-paced. Below are (A) the trajectory the fellowship describes and (B) a clinician framework for working alongside it.
• Newcomer stage. Goal: find out whether CoDA fits. Suggested: attend at least six different meetings before deciding; sharing is optional; call the meeting's contact person before a first meeting if desired. Some groups assign a temporary newcomer sponsor for the first six meetings; CoDA Canada…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• outdated meeting lists; unofficial literature presented as CoDA's.
• reports only about others; over-attendance used to avoid home or feelings.
• the shame and family-of-origin questions can stir trauma; time them with therapy.
• online-only use as a way to avoid contact; one bad meeting generalised to all of CoDA.
• the check-in turning into a self-punishment ritual; perfectionism about doing it daily.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.