Experiencing recovery, supporting others, and starting a career

Everyone needs a support system. Recovery Navigator Carley wants to be part of that system for people seeking recovery from substance use disorders. She says, “I’ve always wanted to help people.”

Because Recovery Navigators focus on peer support and have lived experience with recovery, it was the perfect fit for Carley. As a navigator, Carley is seeing recovery through a new lens. “I’ve been in treatments, so I thought I knew everything,” she says. 

Building relationships with her clients so that they can be themselves around her has been the best part of serving. “The most rewarding thing is when people actually trust me and say, ‘hey, I need your help with something,’” Carley says. “I talked to one client on the phone for maybe three weeks, and then she finally came in said, ‘I can trust you.’ That made my heart melt. It took a long time, but I gained her trust.” 

As part of their service, Recovery Navigators can count their training and service hours towards earning peer support certification. Having taken the weeklong training already, Carley is excited to gain experience supporting others and to further her career while serving with Recovery Corps. “I want to be supportive and help others if they have trouble, and I want all the experience I can get because that’s what brought me into this position,” she says. 

AmeriCorps members can serve a maximum of four terms – and Carley plans to do so! She wants to take the peer support certification test at the end of this term. “I’m just very grateful for this opportunity,” she explains. “Not only am I learning how to become a Peer Support Specialist, but I’m also learning how to be professional.” 

If there’s one thing she wants to tell others interested in Recovery Corps, it’s this: “If you love people and believe in your heart that you can help somebody else, do it.”