Lisa S.

Peer Parent

Born and raised in Southern California, I worked for many years at TRW as a Program Administrator for various government/military projects, and became a proud mom to two wonderful boys. When the opportunity to relocate to AZ came up, I was able to change careers and become a full-time stay-at-home mom where I was happily involved in all things kids, school, and sports.

One of the most difficult challenges we faced as a family was when, as a young teen, our eldest son began struggling with mental health and substance use. The pain, stress, chaos, and fear were devastating, and at that time there were very few resources for adolescents. Feeling very alone and hopeless, we were so fortunate to find an amazing Therapeutic Boarding School, where he thrived and where we discovered that his mental health and addiction challenges had affected us all. We began to learn everything we could about these challenges, but there were very few people who understood what we were going through. While our family and friends were supportive, the shame and judgement we felt was overwhelming. Our family therapist explained that we needed to heal too and recommended Al-Anon, where we were welcomed and accepted by a whole community of people that were experiencing the same things that we were – we finally had HOPE!

It’s shared in many recovery communities, that the opposite of addiction and isolation is not sobriety, it’s connection! OPLM is one of the most important, impactful communities I have ever had the privilege to be a part of. It offers so many invaluable options to ensure that ALL parents and families have access to support and resources for kids experiencing neurodivergence, mental health, and substance use/misuse. This has been the catalyst for healing myself – learning self-care, accepting, embracing, and having respect for my own journey, and listening to and sharing my experience, strength, and hope with others. We can and do get better – it’s possible, and we don’t have to do it alone! Through my incredible son and our family’s challenges I found my purpose and passion – working with and supporting other families who are walking with me on the shared path of family recovery. In addition to OPLM, I’ve been the Parent/Family Liaison for Align Adolescent Recovery (formerly In Balance) since 2009. I have been blessed beyond measure to meet the most amazing, inspiring people along the way, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the OPLM recovery family. I’m very much looking forward to seeing you in our meetings!