Recovery Supports for People with Substance Use Disorders

ATR UPDATE | October 2019 Want to be inspired? Read some of our success stories! 

Sharing the impact of Access to Recovery (ATR) and our Career Building Initiative on the participants we serve!

Miguel The ATR program “meant everything” to Miguel. When he arrived at ATR, he says, “I really didn’t have any guidance or anything. The program really stepped up and gave me a hand.” Soon, he was learning about the job opportunities that would be open to him as he committed to making positive changes in his life. He was interested in the building trades, so ATR staff educated him about union work and a pre-apprenticeship program offered through ATR. It is called Building Pathways.  Through Building Pathways, ATR helped Miguel get the license he needed to get hired constructing a new casino, and then staff supported him as he returned to work. He realized that he could not have accomplished this turnaround without his own hard work, but that he also could not have done it without ATR. Miguel recalls, “Any time I had a question they would help – where would I be without that?” His experiences with ATR made him want to give back, and to help other people with their own recovery. A few years ago, he traveled with the ATR project director, Rebecca Starr, to the Washington, DC, area to participate in a meeting of the National Advisory Council of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration . He describes being part of the recovery discussion at the federal level as “a great experience.” (TO READ MORE CLICK HERE) Chris  Chris, a former ATR client, is now working, attending college, and raising a young daughter. He is a recovery coach for AllWays Health Partners, helping others recover from addiction. He is also studying for a BS in Human Services part-time at the Springfield College–Boston, with tuition assistance from his employer. Yet, he still finds time to be a big part of his two-year-old’s life—an opportunity he says he missed with his older children because of his past drug use and legal troubles. A few years ago, it might have been hard to imagine his current life. In his youth, Chris had sold drugs. For a while, he was addicted only to the money he was making. Then, experimentation with drugs gave way to addiction. He progressed to stronger drugs, including heroin. Disappointed in himself, he decided to quit using drugs. Determined to succeed, he was able to stop on his own and did not use hard mind-altering substances for 12 years. But then, something unexpected interrupted his recovery journey—a back injury. Despite his history, he was prescribed pain medications. As happens to so many people, he became addicted to the opioid medications and went through another three years of addiction.   (TO READ MORE CLICK HERE) )

We are excited to announce two new providers to our Career Building Initiative (CBI) programming in Springfield, Worcester, and New Bedford: 

MA Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) is a 3-week training program that teaches the basic skills that manufacturers are looking for in employees of this high-demand field. The first two weeks of the program covers topics that range from shop math and blueprint reading to safety, lathe concepts, and an intro to programming. During the third week, participants will be trained and credentialed in OSHA 10 and will have the opportunity to participate in an industry-specific job fair. Upon completion of the training program, participants will also be eligible to take the MACWIC Level 1 and 2 credentialing tests, which will make them eligible for employment in the manufacturing field in an entry-level position. https://massmep.org/ We would also like to welcome MassHire Boston to our community of Paths to Empowerment (P2E) providers. P2E is a 3-week job-readiness program specifically designed for ATR participants and crafted to address the common barriers to employment facing individuals in early recovery from substance uses disorder. Upon completion, participants can pursue a number of different options, one of which is enrolling in an ATR sponsored job training program that supports their goal of career development in a specific occupation.  MassHire Boston is operated by and located at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries and will be serving individuals interested in starting their journey towards a rewarding career or educational opportunity in the Boston area. https://www.goodwillmass.org/

We asked and you, and your participants, have responded!   In June of this year, ATR rolled out a new Participant Pre- and Post-Training Survey to gain a more detailed perspective of our CBI participants' experience while involved in the program.  Below is a preliminary look at some of the responses we've received to one of the questions -  What was most helpful about the CBI program?

Please also welcome the newest members of our ATR team! 

Liesl Martin is the Operations Director for the Access to Recovery program, joining the ATR team in September of 2019. Liesl is responsible for directing, leading, and managing the operations of the ATR grant that provides services to people with substance use disorders throughout the Commonwealth of MA, evaluating current processes and procedures and introducing new concepts and innovations to create the best working environment for the ATR team and the most effective functioning.  Prior to joining ATR, Liesl spent over 12 years in postsecondary education, most recently as the Director of Regulatory Operations and Clinical Experiences for K-12 teacher preparation programs. In this role she provided institutional leadership in regulatory operations and educator certification through the assessment, development, and refinement of organizational processes and systems. Welcome Liesl!

Casey Tiefenwerth joins ATR as the new CBI Program Manager. Casey will oversee our entire Career Building Initiative (CBI) program where she will be working diligently to bring on new job training providers in the four cities ATR is in, overseeing quality improvement initiatives, and providing oversight and guidance to our CBI providers. Casey has extensive experience in the workforce development field, having previous roles as the SOR Workforce Development Project Coordinator at BSAS (MA Bureau of Substance Addiction Services) and the Readiness and Supportive Services Supervisor at St. Francis House in Boston. We’re thrilled to have Casey on our team.

Do you know of any job training programs that ATR should consider bringing on board? We are looking to expand our cadre of providers and offer new occupational opportunities for ATR CBI participants. We are passionate about getting ATR participants back into the workforce and into good jobs that can provide career advancement over time. To do this, we want to offer as wide a selection of occupations and job-training options as possible. Please email Casey and let her know! [email protected]

Email Casey

We invite you to visit the site , subscribe to our quarterly newsletter , and if you’re a job-training program in Massachusetts, consider joining the ATR provider network .

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State government funding agency

Administrative services organization that implements the ATR program