The will to help others drives Northeast State student Jessica Page.
A Psychology major at Northeast State, Page was also accepted into the Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy (CRLA) in September 2023. She has been working with the College’s Counseling Services office since fall to develop a student peer recovery group on campus.
“I wanted to get into counseling, so the CRLA staff suggested I speak to the Northeast State counseling office to see if I could volunteer,” said Page. “They were seeking to create a peer counseling group, and I jumped at the chance to create it.”
The CRLA is an academic year-long fellowship program for students who are passionate about the intersection of addiction and mental health recovery, leadership, and advocacy. Students who are accepted into the academy are tasked to implement a recovery-focused impact project on their campus.
The academy took Page to Washington, D.C., last fall to learn about how to promote recovery resources and support students in recovery on college campuses. The CRLA trains student counselors on helping their peers with coping strategies. Students work through past struggles and current challenges to set goals and develop new attitudes about themselves and life. A peer recovery group also connects students to agencies with more resources and treatment options.
“She’s been a huge help to us,” said Lurelle McKay, licensed counselor at Northeast State. “We were starting from ground zero on how to get up and running.”
The academy seeks to draw students together from different areas across the country to talk about implementing student-driven peer recovery groups. Northeast State has created peer recovery groups on campus in recent years. This marks the first student-led recovery group.
“Having a student peer group is what we have always wanted,” said Denise Walker, dean of Student Services and counselor at Northeast State. “I’m very excited about it.”
Substance abuse affects the state’s population in tragic ways. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported Tennessee ranked second nationally in 2021 for per capita death rates due to drug overdoses. The CDC reported that 3,813 residents died from drug overdoses, or a rate of 56.6 per 100,000 members of the state’s population.
Page understands the issues of addiction and recovery from her own experience. She initially enrolled at Northeast State in 2012. Unfortunately, substance abuse derailed her plans. Her determination to break free of addiction gave Page both the perspective and passion to help others. She returned to Northeast State in 2022 to pursue her degree. She plans to enter the counseling profession and help show others the way to an unaddicted life.
“I found my life’s purpose,” said Page. “I can take something that happened to me and turn it into a positive with an understanding some people don’t have to help other people.”
Page noted that people often become addicted treating underlying physical and mental issues. It is a long-held misconception that people willingly choose a lifestyle of addiction, she said.
Northeast State Counseling Services staff are happy to provide students with help through a single visit or short-term coaching and counseling over several weeks. The counseling team lends an empathetic ear to students and provides support and confidentiality.
“This was an opportunity to offer outreach and support to students who otherwise wouldn’t have sought it out,” said McKay. “The collegiate academy helps Jessica take what she has learned and bring it to this event to be a source for students.”
The Counseling Services staff are planning to hold a resource fair in March for students seeking help with addiction and mental health issues. The fair brings substance abuse counselors to students and makes students aware of available counseling resources beyond campus.
Page said the stigma of addiction and mental health remain as barriers for students. When factoring in a poor social network of support and scattered resources, the process of finding help becomes overwhelming.
Page and McKay want students to feel secure to talk about their issues and find a way to recover. McKay said a chief concern of the peer group was establishing a confidential space on campus where students feel comfortable meeting and expressing themselves. They hope to connect students with community resources to continue recovery and support.
“Whether it is substance abuse or mental health disorders, people are very hesitant to reach out; a lot of it is because of confidentiality,” said McKay. “That is something we can secure.”
Students can visit the Counseling Services office on the Blountville campus to get help and questions answered. Counseling staff can provide information and a range of recovery resources.
“I would like to let people know that there is help out there,” said Page. “There is a safe place to come and talk.”
The will to help others drives Northeast State student Jessica Page.
A Psychology major at Northeast State, Page was also accepted into the Collegiate Recovery Leadership Academy (CRLA) in September 2023. She has been working with the College’s Counseling Services office since fall to develop a student peer recovery group on campus.
“I wanted to get into counseling, so the CRLA staff suggested I speak to the Northeast State counseling office to see if I could volunteer,” said Page. “They were seeking to create a peer counseling group, and I jumped at the chance to create it.”
The CRLA is an academic year-long fellowship program for students who are passionate about the intersection of addiction and mental health recovery, leadership, and advocacy. Students who are accepted into the academy are tasked to implement a recovery-focused impact project on their campus.
The academy took Page to Washington, D.C., last fall to learn about how to promote recovery resources and support students in recovery on college campuses. The CRLA trains student counselors on helping their peers with coping strategies. Students work through past struggles and current challenges to set goals and develop new attitudes about themselves and life. A peer recovery group also connects students to agencies with more resources and treatment options.
“She’s been a huge help to us,” said Lurelle McKay, licensed counselor at Northeast State. “We were starting from ground zero on how to get up and running.”
The academy seeks to draw students together from different areas across the country to talk about implementing student-driven peer recovery groups. Northeast State has created peer recovery groups on campus in recent years. This marks the first student-led recovery group.
“Having a student peer group is what we have always wanted,” said Denise Walker, dean of Student Services and counselor at Northeast State. “I’m very excited about it.”
Substance abuse affects the state’s population in tragic ways. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported Tennessee ranked second nationally in 2021 for per capita death rates due to drug overdoses. The CDC reported that 3,813 residents died from drug overdoses, or a rate of 56.6 per 100,000 members of the state’s population.
Page understands the issues of addiction and recovery from her own experience. She initially enrolled at Northeast State in 2012. Unfortunately, substance abuse derailed her plans. Her determination to break free of addiction gave Page both the perspective and passion to help others. She returned to Northeast State in 2022 to pursue her degree. She plans to enter the counseling profession and help show others the way to an unaddicted life.
“I found my life’s purpose,” said Page. “I can take something that happened to me and turn it into a positive with an understanding some people don’t have to help other people.”
Page noted that people often become addicted treating underlying physical and mental issues. It is a long-held misconception that people willingly choose a lifestyle of addiction, she said.
Northeast State Counseling Services staff are happy to provide students with help through a single visit or short-term coaching and counseling over several weeks. The counseling team lends an empathetic ear to students and provides support and confidentiality.
“This was an opportunity to offer outreach and support to students who otherwise wouldn’t have sought it out,” said McKay. “The collegiate academy helps Jessica take what she has learned and bring it to this event to be a source for students.”
The Counseling Services staff are planning to hold a resource fair in March for students seeking help with addiction and mental health issues. The fair brings substance abuse counselors to students and makes students aware of available counseling resources beyond campus.
Page said the stigma of addiction and mental health remain as barriers for students. When factoring in a poor social network of support and scattered resources, the process of finding help becomes overwhelming.
Page and McKay want students to feel secure to talk about their issues and find a way to recover. McKay said a chief concern of the peer group was establishing a confidential space on campus where students feel comfortable meeting and expressing themselves. They hope to connect students with community resources to continue recovery and support.
“Whether it is substance abuse or mental health disorders, people are very hesitant to reach out; a lot of it is because of confidentiality,” said McKay. “That is something we can secure.”
Students can visit the Counseling Services office on the Blountville campus to get help and questions answered. Counseling staff can provide information and a range of recovery resources.
“I would like to let people know that there is help out there,” said Page. “There is a safe place to come and talk.”
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