SAY NO MORE: RECOVERY SPEAKS 

FOR ITSELF

ERASING THE STIGMA OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL ILLNESS 

CHECK OUT MY RECOVERY PROFILE ON DRUGREHAB.ORG

Objectives

To obtain a behavioral health case management position where I can provide quality service to consumers. To obtain a recovery support position where I can help consumers facilitate personal change and build recovery capital.

Experience

Group facilitator

 ▪ March 2014 – Presently employed

Oklahoma County Community Sentencing Program ▪ 217 N. Harvey, Ste. 306, OKC, OK 73102

To facilitate discussion and activities corresponding with the curriculum of Interactive Change Journaling. Create innovative record keeping strategies. Provide participants with completion certificates. 

Program Manager

(Sister to Sister & OCARTA CARES program)▪ July 2011 – January 2014

Oklahoma C.A.R.T. Association (OCARTA) ▪ 2808 NW 31st. St. OKC, OK 73112

Coordinate staff meetings; arrange group schedules for individuals receiving Services, use of Microsoft office software, use of government performance and Results act website. Build and maintain files according to federal guidelines.

Intake Coordinator

 (Sister to Sister & OCARTA CARES program)▪ May 2008 – July 2011

Oklahoma C.A.R.T Association (OCARTA) ▪ 2808 NW 31st. St. OKC, OK 73112

Provide Recovery Support Services to consumers. Create program intake procedures and implement them.  Create consumer tracking procedures for grant compliance reporting.

Skills

A working knowledge of the 12-steps. Extensive knowledge of community resources. Microsoft Office proficient. Alpha-Numeric filing knowledge. Funding Opportunities search knowledge. Ethical. Motivational Interviewing. Cognitive behavioral therapy knowledge.

Education

Mid America Christian University

January 2017  ▪Projected Graduation Date  Substance Abuse Counseling.   3.2 grade point average

Certifications

Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist # 129191 Feb. 2015- Dec. 2015

Certified Behavioral Health Case Manager Level CM 1 # 305249

References

Carla Woodfork                  Friend                 Contact for Number

Bruce McGill                       Mentor                Contact for Number 

Charlene Palmer                Friend                 Contact for Number

Now here it is 8 years later and I am still in recovery.  Not without issues and concerns, just without the desire to drink or use drugs.  The things that I made excuses about now I make responsible decisions about.  The people I thought I could not live without are today, the people that I pray about.  The gossip that I created and perpetrated, is now the repentance that I fall on my knees about.  The cards that life handed me then are the same cards as today, just without my ego attached to them.  The arrogance and conceitedness that I used to belittle others, is now the humble pie that I swallow.  The cuss words that the demon in me spewed then, is now the rebuke of the very same spirit of itself. 

I got behind my own self 8 years ago, and let a power greater than myself lead my down the path of righteousness for the good Lord's sake.

8 years ago today, I found myself in a situation that was complicated to escape. I was dusted and disgusted with myself and life in general. My heart was heavy, but my drive was strong.
I was not raised like that.
I come a legacy of hard-working, determined Black women.
I had not seen my 3 babies in about a year.
I was the talk of the hood, cause I played a role very well.
I DID NOT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AT ALL.
I was spiritually and morally bankrupt.
I was angry and believed that I deserved to die a horrible death.
I slept and ate with killers and silly women.
The police officer that charged me with possession with intent had been watching me for months (he thought I was a twelve year old).
I had created about 100 soul ties
The last man I lived with was trigger happy and hated his mother ( he is still on the Oklahoma's most wanted list).
December 29, 2006, I left the shartel motel and stretched out in a facility for people that have trouble dealing with life without the use of controlled dangerous substances (including alcohol).
I surrendered my will to the care of GOD as I understood him.
I cried and screamed and wrestled with about 12 principalities.
I was counseled by a woman who saw something in me that I did not see (RIP Shirley Yancey).

Stephanie's College Journey 

American Literature

Week One

Stephanie Newman

Mrs. Carla M. Swagerty, M.Ed.

Abstract

Poetry is a form of communication. When a person tries to paint a verbal picture, poetry is a great tool. In my essay, I will describe some of the landscapes of Walt Whitman’s “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry.” I will explain how the ferry has an important role and how the description of the scenery plays into the verbal picture.

Walt Whitman wrote a piece of literature that was first published as “Sun-Down Poem” in 1856. The name changed finally to “Crossing the Brooklyn Ferry” in 1860. A ferry is a type of boat that can carry a great amount of cargo a preferably short distance. This is a necessary and regular service for people who inhabit an island to use to reach the mainland. If you ever have a chance to ride on a ferry, you will be a part of the cargo. I can imagine that Mr. Whitman would have described a plane ride differently than he described a ferry ride he took as a young lad.

The ferry in this poem was the vehicle that helped this young boy to be free and liberated to be himself. He may have had an inclination to explore that boat because he talks about seeing the flood-tide face to face. He may have been looking over that rail to see the “similitudes of the past and those of the future.” (Whitman, 1856) the author described the feeling of curiosity being satisfied by observing that if one looked from all sides and over all the rails of the ferry, you could see all sides of the mainland. The reader could very well believe that the passengers of the ferry are leaving their worries and cares behind while being “refreshed by the gladness of the river and the bright flow.” Whitman, 1856) the bright flow of the river tells me that the author wants me to visualize the light that the ferry is giving off as a reflection onto the surface of the water. Whitman dwells on the ferry itself because when a person wants to reach a certain destination that they could not use just their feet to reach, so a vehicle is order. Vehicles that cross water are very important to modern society because it blurs all boundaries of exploration. Whitman uses the ferry as a landscape and the river as a landscape to paint this verbal picture.

The brief description of the mainland lets that reader know that to the author the destination is more significant. The author gives many references also to the physical make- up of the ferry like its “slender serpentine pennants.” (Whitman, 1856) These masts were majestic against the backdrop of “The flags of all nations.” Nature complimented the verbal picture and gave it more credibility in light of the fact that there was “haze on the hills southward and south west-ward.” (Whitman 1856) The role designated to nature in this poem is one of correlation. The author referenced the darkness more than the sun. The spots of darkness led the author to invent himself into a part of the “assembly,” (Whitman, 1856.) The appearance of the ferry and the passengers was emphasized by the author. Fortunately this ferry did not crash and cause injuries and loss of life, and it was most stately and admirable for the service it performed multiple times a day. The ferry carted many people who maybe had the same outlook as the author, but the author persevered over the evil nature of the person using the vehicle.

The role of nature was to “stand up!”(Whitman, 1856) Stand up and be noticed. Stand up and expand. Just like the masts of the story. The clouds at sunset turned colors and reflected a promise from a higher power. The scenery of the poem gives the reader a glimpse into the whole concept of a boat with a mind of its own. This was a boat that gives off therapeutic aromas to help the nervous passenger cross with little discomfort. Even though the crossing from Brooklyn may be short in time, it was obviously was not too little time for a young man to find a meaning and purpose in the crossing of the Brooklyn ferry. If a person had misgivings about using this form of transportation, there would be clear boundaries set for the passengers. Boundaries not just of masts and engine pipes but boundaries of human sensibilities such as “guile, anger, lust, refusals and postponements-none of these would you cross if you give yourself up to the “gorgeous clouds of the sunset.” (Whitman, 1856)

References

Baym, Nina, and Robert Levine. "The Yellow Wall-Paper ." The Norton anthology of American literature. 8th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 793. Print.