By JOSHUA SOLOMON
Staff Writer
Published: 5/9/2019
GREENFIELD —
…Advocates, like Amie Hyson, who is a recovery coach who works with The RECOVER Project in Greenfield, asked the commission to help coaches avoid burnout. This in part is to support a pay that is a livable wage and in part to provide additional services that support the coaches…
Linda Sarage, the former longtime director of The RECOVER Project, said it’s vital to increase the available training and multilingual access to them while decreasing the barriers of cost. She reminded the commission that Pittsfield and Greenfield are not necessarily close.
“We’re weeding out people from particular backgrounds and particular demographics who would be our most valuable assets,” Sarage said. “How do we make it more accessible?”
Sarah Ahern, an active member and advocate of the recovery community in town, emphasized the sheer importance of a recovery coach.
“The peer-to-peer model is so important because as a person in recovery, I’ve had way too much clinical interface,” Ahern said. “When you’re sitting across from someone who has walked your path, the trust is a little different. The trust is there right away.”
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