BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A program aimed at helping parents suffering from substance use disorder continues to grow in Chittenden County.
The goal of the Parents in Recovery program is to create a plan to help parents get back on track.
Addiction specialists at the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County say participation has risen 40% since 2022.
“Having the resource to have one person to go to and say, ‘Hey, this is what I need. Can you help me?’ Because some people don’t have that,” said Shanna Lavalley of Colchester.
Lavalley has been sober for more than a year now because of the Parents in Recovery program. She says she was using substances for two years, was homeless and got her kids taken away from her. But now, she has an apartment and she has her kids back.
“I don’t think I would be a year. I wouldn’t probably be with everything that I have had to go up against. Being put in boxes that I just did not fit in. Not knowing what to do, where to go, how to do it. If I even had the strength to do it,” Lavalley said.
Parents in Recovery started as a pilot program at the Turning Point Center in 2017 but lost momentum during the pandemic. It grew to a peak of 44 participants last year and is expected to grow again this year.
Recovery coach Heidi Hausler says this program is essential for making parents feel empowered in their role in their children’s lives.
“When you are in recovery, it is an uphill battle. Finding a person that you can relate to can make all the difference, especially if the person is also a parent. It’s support in a way that it feels nonjudgmental,” Hausler said.
Hausler says she can meet with as many as eight parents a day, helping them identify goals and milestones in their recovery plan. Much of the work is helping parents get over the guilt they have from using.
“Every step I would make, I would feel the guilt. I would feel so much shame. Getting ready in the morning, ‘Oh, you’re such an imposter. I can’t believe you’re going to pretend like a good parent today,’” Hausler said.
Lavalley says to those who want help– just do it.
“Stop thinking about what people are going to think when you walk through the door. What you look like. Stop thinking that the people in here are more than you. You are just as equal as them,” she said.
You don’t need to be recovering from substance use to be in the program. It’s open to those with domestic violence issues, homelessness or who just want to make a change.