Isabel Byon: 0:00

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Support, or OASAS, provides this podcast as a public service. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the agency or state. This is Addiction: The Next Step.

Jerry Gretzinger: 0:22

Hello, friends. This is Jerry Gretzinger, your host for Addiction: The Next Step. As you know, we're coming to you from the Offices of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports. Thank you for joining us today. You know, we we always get to talk to a variety of people, which is which is terrific. Sometimes it's people with direct lived experience, sometimes it's people uh who have connections to people who have had uh uh uh issues in their lives, who have then gone on to provide services and support. And that's one of the guests we have on today. And it's really nice because we can tap into them as resources to be able to share their information, what they've learned, to help those of you out there uh who could perhaps benefit from what they have to tell us. And that person today uh is Michele Harris -Semple, and she's with Services for the UnderServed. And Michele, you're downstate in the New York City area, correct?

Michele Harris-Semple: 1:14

Yes, I mean I'm in New York.

Jerry Gretzinger: 1:16

All right. All right, listen, thank you so much for connecting with us today and uh coming on the podcast to to talk about this. You know, I mentioned um we get to talk to people who not only have some experience providing services, but have some experience with loved ones, friends, relatives who had issues with substances in the past. And I know I know that's the case for you as well, right?

Michele Harris-Semple: 1:35

Yes, yes, Jerry. So I had a I had a cousin who had uh experience with uh crack use disorder, um, and she was able to get those systems and and also deal with that. And she's now 26 years old.

Jerry Gretzinger: 1:49

Oh, that's terrific. That that that's a story we always love telling people about. You know, that that's recovery is possible. That's what we tell people. Um if you can, before we get into the things you've learned and kind of the path that took you down for what you're now doing, I know you have you do a number of different things. You have your CASAC as well, right? I mean, you you've been doing a lot with substance over the years, helping people.

Michele Harris-Semple: 2:10

Yes. So um I have my CASAC my social work degree. Um, and basically I started out with Services for the Underserved. I've been there for seven years. I started out as a housing case manager and then moved into the psychotherapist, just helping individuals who are just underserved uh when it just comes to housing, substance use disorders, and mental health.

Jerry Gretzinger: 2:33

And as we know, housing is is such a barrier sometimes. People uh housing being a challenge, it can keep them from getting other supports and services. So that's so important. Michele, if you will, let's start with talk about your cousin. So growing up, you know, with your cousin in your life, what did you see? What did you witness, you know, the challenges, the struggles, how did it affect you, how did it affect the rest of the family, and then sort of the journey that she was able to take and as you said now doing as well as she is.

Michele Harris-Semple: 3:00

Yes, Jerry. So uh just being like in the early stages, um in the beginning of her uh journey with substance use with the class use disorder, um, it was a struggle. We had to be there for her, uh just to support her on an ongoing basis. Just to let her know that there was just like a non-judgment zone. Uh just leading her with tears and just, you know, staying committed to the process. It didn't happen overnight. We would just make sure we communicated and stayed in contact on an ongoing basis, and just make sure that, you know, family was there to support her. And just never leave her side. I think that was just the biggest commitment ever. And I'm so glad she was able to get through that.

Jerry Gretzinger: 3:42

And you said it didn't happen overnight. So this was something that sort of with you and the rest of the family kind of gradually saw taking place and.

Michele Harris-Semple: 3:51

Yeah, we we it was we we saw it just happen. Uh we were able to like visit her when it started to progress. We we stayed around her, we supported her, uh, we were able to like be around her, like just to call and check in, make sure she stayed in with her group, make sure she went to her o ut patient program, make sure she had a healthy sober network. Make sure she was around an environment that was healthy. We wanted to make sure she wasn't around negative individuals. So what that means that we had to like not give her no negative energy with that, you know, just keep her grounded. And I think that's very important. Uh not to just, you know, don't I don't want to say don't don't don't don't downplay her situation, but just try to open it up in the way we try to do it positively.

Jerry Gretzinger: 4:50

Yeah. And you know, if if you know, approximately how old was she when she started having issues issues with substances?

Michele Harris-Semple: 4:58

She was around at at that time. In her twenties.

Jerry Gretzinger: 5:03

Okay.

Michele Harris-Semple: 5:04

Yeah, in her twenties, and then now she's older now. She's like my older cousin. So she's older now, so she's able to like function and get a job and get housing.

Jerry Gretzinger: 5:14

That's great.

Michele Harris-Semple: 5:15

Um, because now she she's able to you keep that foundation and then have a silver network now.

Jerry Gretzinger: 5:21

Yeah. So you know

Michele Harris-Semple: 5:22

Because

Jerry Gretzinger: 5:24

Go ahead.

Michele Harris-Semple: 5:25

No, because just because she just stay just having that faith and that hope, just having that beacon of hope.

Jerry Gretzinger: 5:31

Yeah. You know, you you mentioned uh she was in her twenties and it makes me think, you know, we recently spoke in other people who say they started when they were, you know, not even ten years old in their teens. We have other people who've said, you know, I I never touched anything until I was in my thirties. So and I'm sure now in the work that you're doing, you also see you know, substance use disorder is not something that, you know, only happens in one age group. It can be you can be any age, anywhere, anyone.

Michele Harris-Semple: 5:57

Right. It doesn't discriminate, Jerry, so that's what most people have to understand. It does not discriminate.

Jerry Gretzinger: 6:03

And so as as you, you know, continue to support your cousin, you said she's your older cousin. At what point did you say, you know, this is something I want to continue to do to be able to help people with? You know, we're supporting her, and I wanna I want to do this for more than just my cousin.

Michele Harris-Semple: 6:20

At what point, Jerry, I think is when I saw her be able to maintain employment, be able to maintain housing, um, and just seeing where she what she went through. Uh seeing her be able to stay sober, seeing her be able to get those keys to her own place and be able to keep the years of sobriety that she has now and not go back. And it helped and and I see her also inspire others. So that made me want to want to just tell talk about, you know, like I want to help someone else do that. I can see myself doing that for someone else.

Jerry Gretzinger: 7:01

Yeah, and I I'm so glad to hear you say this too, because one of the other things that we're always preaching here at OASAS is that we want people to consider joining uh the the addiction support and services profession, you know, come into the field and and do this work because, like you said, you can do so much good. So we talked about you being a psychotherapist now. Tell me how that kind of works with the services you provide to folks who come in that you may see who have substance use disorder.

Michele Harris-Semple: 7:27

Um, it's a holistic approach. So it's an all-around approach with their whole life area. So I'm co I'm coordinating services to their best needs. So it it starts with their substance use. So we address address that first. We work on the intake. We we start off with what needs to be addressed, what how patients do they want to attend. We allow them to make that decision on what area they want to attend. And then if they're ready, then we work on the next steps of uh engaging into groups, and then if they want to do mental health, then we go a little further. So I think the best practice is is just meeting that person where they are and just getting them to just grow within their recovery turns.

Jerry Gretzinger: 8:14

Yeah. Um I always ask people this too. If someone is is listening to this and has been debating, well, may maybe I should maybe I should make a phone call, maybe I should get involved and talk to someone about you know how I might benefit from this. But but they've got some of those barriers we talk about. Like you talked about housing. I know sometimes it's transportation. It could just be stigma, right? The concern about putting themselves out there and letting people know I I need some help through this. What would what would you say to them? How would you explain to them that you know you you can pick up that phone, you can make that call, and all those other issues can be addressed together?

Michele Harris-Semple: 8:50

I would say to them that with the connection to the care program that we also have with an SUS that we also have a PS specialist. We have someone that has a lab experience that can help them to get through this. So there's someone that can also connect with them on their stories that can make it more relatable, um, so that way they can feel more comfortable to make that next step. So that they don't feel no fear to want to go to that that use approach and and wanting to make that change. I know there can be some ambivalence and some some or maybe no motivation. They might need someone to speak to that they can just relate to, or someone that's been through that experience.

Jerry Gretzinger: 9:35

Yeah. Um, you know, as as you were talking about that too, uh it made me think um you said earlier about how how it uh made you feel so good to see your cousin do so well to get those keys, and then you decide that I want to continue to do this. And I have to I have to think that you know the emotions you felt seeing her do so well, you're you're not inside her head, but I would I would think that for someone like that to see her cousin pursue this career because she was so inspired by her success, it had to be meaningful for her as well. So you guys there must be some some real emotion when you guys talk about like, hey, how's work going? How's life going?

Michele Harris-Semple: 10:11

Yeah. Yeah, because life life happens. Life is gonna continue to happen. Um, and I think one of the best things or one of the one of the things that I love about her is that she continues to just keep on staying strong even when things do happen, right? So if there's like drama at work or drama with situations within the family, she doesn't go back to wanting to use, she'll she'll try to go make her in a group. She'll try to reach out to her sponsor. So I just love that she stays grounded and she doesn't let nothing get in the way of her sobriety.

Jerry Gretzinger: 10:50

Yeah. Well, it sounds like you're proud of her, certainly, and I'm sure she's also proud of her cousin for for doing what she's doing now with her life. Um talking more about what you do with the organization you work with. I know I know there's a lot that's done uh not only to help people come through the door and to start treatment and to to go in that direction, but also, you know, when when they are in recovery, which again we want to say is possible for everyone, there's there's a lot that needs to be done and is being done to help like reintegrate, you know, with with the life that they want to be leading.

Michele Harris-Semple: 11:21

Yes, reintegrate um and get them back into stabilization. Um so we want to make them so normalized. So with that being said, I guess talking about it more. So we're getting them to we're we're talking about supportive housing services more. So we're educating them about the process. Um we're talking about not rushing the process so much and probably just focusing more on the substance use journey, focusing more on the mental health journey before we start to go into that supportive housing process. Uh because sometimes a lot of our participants may want to rush that housing process and might not be ready. But we need to get the supports in place before we we jump the gun, kinda in a sense.

Jerry Gretzinger: 12:08

Right, sorry, so get them prepared for success.

Michele Harris-Semple: 12:11

Yeah.

Jerry Gretzinger: 12:11

And and so, you know, as as we get ready to kind of close here, the other thing I'll ask you, because obviously you've seen probably quite a bit in the years you've been doing this now, what what do you feel is the biggest challenge to recovery being possible for people? Because as you said, every day it's a new day, it's a new challenge. We tell people recovery is not a destination, it's a journey. So, what are those challenges that you try to prepare people for so that they continue to be successful in recovery?

Michele Harris-Semple: 12:38

One of the challenges I try to prepare people for, I would say, is just stay hopeful through the process and stay hopeful through even the storm. Um, there's going to be a lot of crises. There's going to be crises. Uh, there's going to be happy uh moments, there's going to be sad moments. But even when there's moments that do come like that, still stay hopeful in that process. Because it's not going to be forever. You're going to get over that moment. Um pick up a phone call, call someone and and and ask for that support and just get over that support by just picking up that phone. Get your get your peer support. You can't do this alone. It takes a village, like how my family came from from my cousin. So you can't do this alone. It's a whole journey. And we're here to support everyone that is dealing with this type of centuries crisis.

Jerry Gretzinger: 13:36

Yeah, and you know, I I think in all the stories that we've told with people, uh, there's always one constant, and that is they've had support. And whether it's from family that was with them the whole way or family that they made, you know, when they got into services and supports and programs, they made some people say it was my second family. So there's always that key piece that we want to make sure people can include. So we appreciate you and people like you providing that to them and helping them find it.

Michele Harris-Semple: 14:00

Yeah.

Jerry Gretzinger: 14:01

Michele, I want to thank you so much. Before before we wrap up here, though, I want to ask you if people are are downstate in your area and say, you know what, I want to reach out, I want to talk to her. I want to find somebody in that organization to help, how can they go about finding you?

Michele Harris-Semple: 14:15

Uh, they can call us at 877-583-5336, or they can email us at services@ sus.org.

Jerry Gretzinger: 14:24

SUS.org.

Michele Harris-Semple: 14:26

Yes, and they can also email us at wellnessworks@s us.org as well.

Jerry Gretzinger: 14:31

All right. Michele, thank you so much for sitting down with us today. I really appreciate it, and I'm sure the information we gave out was very useful to folks. And um, hey, listen, if you have any other questions that you want to talk about, you know OASAS provides an outlet as well. You can go to our HOPE line, it's 877-8- HOPENY. You can also find a list of services and providers and supports on our website, oasas.ny.gov, oasas.ny.gov. Until we see you again, or talk to you again if you're listening. I'm Jerry Gretzinger. Be well.