Local nonprofit Families Forever breaking down the stigma of recovery
BEDFORD — Amber Mathis works as a peer recovery coach at the Bedford-based nonprofit Families Forever, where she draws from her own experiences with substance use to help people navigate similar situations.
Families Forever specializes in providing recovery services in the areas of substance use and mental health. The organization has led some important initiatives throughout the community.
Families Forever recently spearheaded a collaborative enterprise that led to the installation of Narcan boxes in three locations in Lawrence County. Another Narcan box can be found in Orleans. Narcan contains the active drug naloxone, which is classified as an opioid antagonist. It is meant to be given to individuals who are believed to be experiencing an opioid overdose.
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What is a peer recovery coach?
Mathis said peer recovery coaches use a person-centered approach. The work of peer recovery coaches is tailored to match the needs and circumstances of any individual or group of individuals that they are aiding.
"We're open to all different pathways to recovery," she said. "So my goal would be helping them find what pathway works for them, what their recovery plan looks like and how I can help them achieve it."
Mathis works closely with her clients to identify any possible barriers that might be preventing them from developing stability on their road to recovery. She then works with them, at their own pace, to explore ways that these barriers can eventually be overcome. She also acts as a source for answering questions or directing them to resources. The services that Mathis provides are completely free.
Mathis said peer recovery coaches are becoming more common, which is something that excites her.
"I think it's really growing and expanding right now," she said. "I just went to a recovery conference down in Florida last week. It had people from all over the country. Listening to them made me realize that peer recovery coaches are expanding everywhere. They're offering so much more training, there are more agencies popping up that are peer-led and that's why they're looking for peer recovery coaches to bring on their staff. There is also evidence that someone with lived experience can offer a lot to someone that's still struggling with addiction."
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Mathis completed her training to be eligible to work as a peer recovery coach at ICAADA, which is a subsidiary of Mental Health America of Indiana. It provides training for behavioral health professionals to earn the certifications that are necessary to offer person-focused behavioral health services that are influenced by evidence-based practices.
"As a peer recovery coach, I'm not telling you what pathway at all to take," she explains. "It's about finding the one that works for you and how I can help you accomplish that. I'm not preaching abstinence to people. Obviously, I hope that they eventually get to that point. If they're not ready for that, if they're just looking to cut back, or if they're looking to try to fix some of the problems that have come into their life from their addiction, then I'm there to help them do that. Then the goal is, as we build that relationship and as they start working on these things, they're going to reach a point where they're ready to start cutting back more or going to abstinence. I think the biggest thing is that it's all person-centered."
The training Mathis underwent also prioritized teaching her and others in the program to remove their own biases.
"It was also really big on motivational interviewing, asking questions that help engage the person and figuring out what they want, instead of what I want. That is a really big thing that we talked a lot about was meeting people where they are, not leaving them there and not forcing my agenda on them either. It went in a lot with ethics. They added that in and there was also an ethics training that I had to take separately for that."
Mathis said this personalized approach can help people feel less intimidated to seek help.
"Everybody is so different," Mathis said. "What works for one isn't going to work for the other. So if I'm only showing them one way, in the way that I think or the way that helped me, that might not work for them. I'm here when they are ready for help. If I'm forcing this one way on them, and that doesn't work for them, I'm taking away that opportunity for them to get sober, maintain sobriety and recovery."
A person-centered approach can help break down walls that other approaches might not be able to reach. This is part of the reason why this method is emphasized in the training she received.
"When you're in addiction, you lose everything," Mathis said. "When you have all these people telling you that you have to do this, you have to do that. They can feel like they have no choice. It's not in their control. So when it's person-centered, it's giving them control of their life, their recovery and what they want. So they feel like they have a say in it. So I think it's empowering for people."
John Keesler, assistant professor at IU Bloomington's School of Social Work, said he believes peer recovery coaches can provide important services in rural communities.
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"We know the challenge with addictions and substance use is pretty pervasive," he said. "Whether it is treatment costs and there are not enough providers in rural communities for a number of reasons. So, I think engaging people in the recovery community provides more people with access to help them enter into recovery and maintain sobriety. They don't have to necessarily go to a treatment facility or a graduate-level clinician that might be inaccessible to them because of lack of funds, lack of health insurance, etc. Peer recovery coaches can provide access and support that may fill in the gaps for the healthcare system."
A personal connection
Mathis has worked as a peer recovery coach at Families Forever since July. She did not have a peer recovery coach while she was on her personal road to recovery.
Today, she enjoys having the opportunity to use her past experiences with substance use to create meaningful connections with people who share similar experiences.
"To have somebody that not only understands your past, but they understand the difficulty of getting into recovery and maintaining that recovery, I think that helps a lot," she said. " I had a couple of people at the beginning of my recovery that had been through it. I respected what they had to say more because I felt when they said something, I knew that they had been through it or been through something similar. So they knew what they were talking about, they could understand my feelings or what I was going through, so I think that's huge."
Mathis also provides her peer recovery services in Orange County through a collaboration with the faith-based organization Love Never Fails to meet with people trying to maintain their sobriety.
Families Forever are part of several collaborations to expand its recovery services to make them accessible to as many people as possible. One of these collaborations is with IU Health.
"If somebody comes in that has anything to do with addiction. Most of the time, they have some other health problem that they're dealing with too but if addiction is a big part of it, she (a social worker at IU Health) will reach out to me if they're willing to talk to someone. I go and meet them while they're still in the hospital. I offer my services, talk about what I do, what they're looking for and make that connection there. Then I follow up with them when they get out of the hospital, call and check and then start seeing them one on one from there, but we try to meet them right there while they're going through the hospital."
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Providing recovery services is Mathis's passion.
"When I got involved with service work, I realized that that was where my passion was, that was what I wanted to do," Mathis said.
Looking forward, another goal of her work is to continue reducing the stigma and shame that is often attached to individuals who are recovering.
"It's empowering. You know, you went from someone who has all this stigma around you and you feel bad about yourself, you feel very ashamed of yourself, the things that you've done and went through," Mathis said. "So, it's empowering to get to a place where I'm helping others get out of that. I think for both sides of the fence, whether you're in addiction or you are the peer recovery coach, it's great for both people."
Anyone interested in learning more about the services that Families Forever provides can learn more by visiting their recovery engagement center at 1129 16th St. Mathis can be directly reached at 812-675-8465.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Mail: Bedford nonprofit Families Forever breaks down the stigma of recovery
