You are not alone in your journey. Listen to gripping, honest accounts of desperation from those who once struggled with drug and/or alcohol addiction. Podcast host Matt Shedd invites guests to share moving recollections of hope and peace found through 12-Step recovery. Hear personal testimonies of guests’ experiences at MARR, and what life in recovery is like today.
Community Means Holding Hope in Uncertainly
Janet Hodges, LPC
Director of Traditions (Women’s Recovery Center)
There has always been something special about MARR. When you come here, whether you’re a client, family member, staff, or involved in some other way, you become part of our community.
Relying on one another, being open and vulnerable about struggles, peacefully resolving inevitable conflicts, and being of service to one another–these are principles that have guided the clinical care we provide clients and families since 1975.
Life is full of uncertainty, and it always will be. But where there is community, there is hope. And hope is stronger than any uncertainties that we can possibly face.
In March 2020, just as Covid was reaching us, I transitioned out of my role as Primary Counselor at Right Side Up, where I worked for three years, into the role of Director of Traditions.
As difficult as it was to no longer work side-by-side with the RSU staff, clients, and families that I had grown to love so dearly, this difficulty was eased by the fact that I was staying within the MARR family. Although the program specifics would be different, I knew that the core values would be exactly the same.
No matter what MARR program you’re involved with, the secret behind what we do comes down to the same core commitment: community.
Only community can help our clients recover from their addictions. And only by functioning as a community can staff provide the insight and compassion that our clients need from us to grow into their recovery. When we are functioning well, the client community and the staff community are always modeling the integrity and honesty that are required to do this difficult but incredibly rewarding work.
If I wanted to pass on anything about how we function as a clinical team, I would say this. Only by practicing the same community principles that we ask of our clients can we as a counseling staff provide the hope that we and our clients need.
Life is full of uncertainty, and it always will be. But where there is community, there is hope. And hope is stronger than any uncertainties that we can possibly face.
Stories of Recovery Podcast
