Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lisa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

My son had been struggling with Substance Use Disorder for several years and as a mother, I was not having any success in helping him. Not only was I not able to help him, I was hardly surviving my own life. His struggles with addiction, had become my illness too. He had been living in our home in between recovery attempts and left the house one day. As I watched him walk out of our home, I realized that he very likely would not survive this disease. At that moment, my heart broke as his mother realizing that I could do no more to help him choose recovery. In that realization, I asked my self the question, “If my son did not survive this, was I OK with the last thing that he saw, felt and heard from me?” The answer that was a hard truth from me was “no”. I was not OK with how I was showing up in this relationship and illness. I was not OK, and thus, I could do nothing to help him be OK. That is the moment everything changed for me. I began to work on healing my own connection to the disease of addiction and learned that I could have connection and influence with him if I first learned to recover myself. I could understand how his behaviors made sense to him and what was underneath those behaviors, how to be aware of my own reactions and reasons for my behaviors and ultimately how to behave and communicate in an effective way to honor both his and my journeys. It was then that my life went from survival to living and my connection ultimately had the influence that I was searching for.

That journey led me to become who I needed most in those moments.

Lisa, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I work with families who love someone struggling with Substance Use Disorder. I guide them through the process of their own recovery from the affects of addiction in their lives. With this work, I can help families learn to communicate in ways that are compassionate while setting healthy boundaries for their own health and safety. I use the evidence based practices of CRAFT, Invitation to Change and Motivational Interviewing to help people connect with their loved one, creating the influence that they want to support someone else’s choices for a healthier life. In this process, families learn to understand and connect with their loved one, understand and have compassion for themselves and learn to communicate effectively.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When my family was struggling with substance use, I became someone that I didn’t even recognize. I had lost sight of my values and purpose in life was barely surviving. There came a moment when I realized that my attempts to help my son were not helping him, and were making me miserable. I was exhausted and felt hopeless and helpless. My controlling behaviors were not helping him and were killing me and all of my other relationships. What I discovered is that through evidence based practices, I could take care of myself, my needs and my life while connecting with my son separate from his behavior or substance use. This allowed me to create the influence that I was desperately seeking and invite him to make healthier choices for himself. I was able to remove judgement and shame from my interactions with him and love him where he was.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

I combine my certifications and training in Peer Recovery Coaching with a focus on family systems, CRAFT (community reinforcement and family training), Invitation to Change and Motivational Interviewing with my lived experience as a mother to someone with Substance Use Disorder, and combine that with my Masters Level Education Degrees and 20 years of teaching experience to create a path forward for families needing support and guidance on their journey with addiction.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.reclaimrecover.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reclaim_recover/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reclaimandrecover
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-smith-985b48212/

Image Credits
LaFaye Photography

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