Introducing each other to recovery
Free Lance-Star, Sunday, Healthy Living Section, April 20, 2014
Katelyn Leboff: 540/374-5417
Sometimes, you just want to be with people who understand what you’re going through.
“Peer support introduced me to the world of recovery,” said Tracy Ringquist, a peer volunteer at the new local organization Recovery in Motion.
Ringquist, of Spotsylvania County, knows the value of peer support for people grappling with mental health problems. She said she experienced that support herself during a Wellness Recovery Action Plan class.
“The WRAP class was the first time I’d been with peers, and it wasn’t a hospital setting,” Ringquist said. “These people get it. They've been there. They understand, and I don’t feel like I have to explain myself or my situation.”
Ringquist co-facilitates two support groups at Recovery in Motion, a newly launched peer-run facility in Spotsylvania County. Once a week on Wednesdays, she speaks to peers with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Ringquist also leads a WRAP class, an eight-week course aimed at helping individuals identify their triggers, create a plan to cope and maintain their mental wellness and set recovery goals.
Peers are individuals who have had personal experience with mental health challenges or substance abuse and are working together to improve their mental health, said Karen Kallay, president of Recovery in Motion.
Located on Market Street off U.S. 1, Recovery in Motion is designed to be a place for those dealing with mental health
challenges to find social support and make friends, said Christy Escher, the organization’s executive director.
“These activities and support groups get people out of the house and doing something they enjoy around others they feel comfortable with,” Escher said.
Elaine Arnold, 54, hosts a Mindfulness and Meditation session as a peer at Recovery in Motion every Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. Arnold has dealt with anxiety and depression since she was 15 and has been working in peer support organizations for 19 years.
“In my 30s, I had a meltdown,” Arnold said. “It’s a very scary time. I knew I couldn’t be the only one feeling that way. And I wasn’t. It’s so important to reach out to one another and
find those who can understand and help.”
Recovery in Motion started under the umbrella of Mental Health America of Fredericksburg and was incubated there for several years.
“The true benefit of peer-to-peer support is that the individuals have lived it,” said Lynn DelaMer, executive director of Mental Health America of Fredericksburg. “Talking with someone who is recovering, or has recovered, from a mental health challenge can reduce anxiety and isolation.”
People in the community can call a help line, and Mental Health America of Fredericksburg will connect them with services.
“So that’s what happened. People were calling and asking about a peer-run place,” DelaMer said. “It’s been a dream of mine for a number of years to have a peer-run center.”
On July 10, 2013, that dream came true as Recovery in Motion incorporated as its own nonprofit organization.
“It’s just getting started, but we are open and serving,” Kallay said.
“We are brand-, spanking new,” Escher said. “My personal goal is that in six months we will have numbers in the mid-20s on any given day.”
Peers can participate in a variety of classes, support groups and activities on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons such as knitting and crafts, writing workshops and sessions titled “Pathways to Recovery.” Peers also can volunteer at Recovery in Motion and help out by teaching or hosting a class or session.
Escher and Kallay plan to expand to more days and times in the future.
“Our numbers are growing slowly, but we are seeing more people each week,” Ringquist said.
At Recovery in Motion, training is necessary for certain roles like volunteering as a wellness coach or WRAP facilitator. The training is offered at other locations, but the hope is to one day facilitate such training at Recovery in Motion, Escher said.
The WRAP classes, originally offered by Mental Health America of Fredericksburg, are now being offered by Recovery in Motion four times a year, with the next starting May 7, 6–8 p.m.
Peer support, Escher said, is “uplifting, fun and enjoyable. Often, people want to improve their lives and situations, and this is the place for them to do that.”
Recovery in Motion has been receiving a wealth of community support and donations and will be applying for state funding for the next fiscal year, Escher said. Individual donations have topped $5,000.
Though Recovery in Motion accepts donations, all of the programs, classes and support groups are free.
Rappahannock Goodwill Industries is currently hosting Recovery in Motion until the construction of their suite of rooms is completed. The construction within the Goodwill Community Resource Center at 4701 Market St. began April 1.
Meanwhile, Ringquist said having a place to gather has been invaluable.
“Most rewarding for me has been working with my peers and seeing them grow and improve,” Ringquist said. “I’ve learned so much from them, too. It’s amazing.”
“There is nothing that can help you more than supporting another who is walking in the shoes you were once in,” said Arnold, who runs the weekly Mindfulness and Meditation session. “That is what Recovery in Motion is all about.”
twitter.com/RecoveryNMotion
facebook.com/RecoveryinMotion Fredericksburg
www.recovery-in-motion.org
RIM is located on the second floor of the Goodwill Community Resource Center on 4701 Market St., Fredericksburg, VA 22408.
Call 540/645-6042 for more information.