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<\/a>She said the Drug Court saw something in her that she couldn\u2019t see in herself, and it was the first time that people had tried to help her. She was involved in the program for three years, and this is when she received counseling, something she\u2019d never had before. She began the recovery process, and when she graduated from Drug Court, she enrolled the following semester at Jones, determined to get her degree.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the first phone call, everyone at Jones encouraged me and made it so doable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When she started Jones, she was already working in the mental health field. After one year of sobriety, which is one of the pre-requisites for the job, she became a Peer Support Specialist at Clearview Recovery Center. She was the first person hired for the position at the center. Working at a treatment center helping people work on recovery helped her, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever I go through something hard, I remind myself that this is going to help someone,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s comforting to others when someone has gone through the same thing. That\u2019s what\u2019s so powerful about peer support because we\u2019ve felt the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this role, the specialists share their personal stories with others through lectures and support groups. People in this role can receive certification through the Department of Mental Health. She later became a Clinical Assistant, and now she serves as a Case Manager for the Forrest\/Perry County Drug Court. She plans on earning a bachelor\u2019s in social work from USM, where she will start in the fall. She hopes to one day earn her masters as well.<\/p>\n
While working in these roles, she attended Jones online classes, graduating this past May. Although not seeing her instructors for face-to-face classes, she said they all made an impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy advisor, Stacy Ruth, was very helpful in navigating course schedules, and she was also my teacher a few times. I remember in one of our advisement appointments she called me \u2018The Bomb Dot Com,\u2019 which I remind my teenage step son of regularly when he gets embarrassed of me in public,\u201d she said. \u201cThe amazing Eric Shows, PTK advisor who nominated me for the All-State Academic Award and believes in me and my story…<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah Ishee, who helped my middle-aged mom-brain\u00a0actually be able to retain\u00a0history information (something I thought was impossible!!). Ms. (Missie) Meeks helped me to become a better writer, and Mr. (John) Burks helped me to better organize my thoughts and challenged my fears of speaking in public. Mrs. (Kathryn) Davis gave me interesting assignments in my social work classes that really made me think about things I have been through personally in a different light.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really could go on and on. Each and every teacher I had was special, and they really helped me to grow and learn,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
An avid AA member, she talked of the 12 steps and used herself as an example. \u201cI am just as capable as everyone else, but I have no power against this one thing, so I have to give it to a higher power,\u201d she said. Staying involved in AA helps her to remain humble, help others, and seek God daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I get small, then God can get really big,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to see that power. I would not be anywhere close to here without Him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last month, she started her nonprofit called Renters for Recovery. The idea was sparked when she saw people with nowhere to go once they finished their time at a treatment facility. The plan is to rent properties where people in recovery can go after treatment, similar to group homes. Everyone will receive counseling once a week in the home, and renters will receive two counseling sessions a month, which will be included in the rent.<\/p>\n
Her ultimate goal with the nonprofit would include \u201capartments where whole families can be together, where they can work to get their kids back, and everyone can receive counseling.\u201d<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t her first time helping others in an innovative way. When she entered Clearview as a patient, she came with nothing, but while there, she received all the resources she needed. This inspired her to start a donation closet at the facility where people who come with nothing can receive clothes, toiletries, and other helpful items. The Fresh Start Donation Closet was just the beginning of her call to help others.<\/p>\n
There was a time when people automatically associated drug users as bad people, but progress is being made on how we look at addiction, she explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith mental health counselors, trauma-informed care, and crisis intervention counselors, we can have a helping attitude instead of a punishing attitude,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
People having that helpful attitude really made the difference in her recovery. She saw Drug Court Judge Helfrich as a father figure, partly because he resembled her father, but also because he was personable and accepting of her, hugging her when she made progress, officiating her marriage, and meeting her two-week-old baby.<\/p>\n