The panel will feature faculty, staff, students and alumni who will share personal recovery experiences, and stories of resilience and growth beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 26) in the Mountainlair, Mountaineer Room.
Panel members include professionals in the addiction and recovery field, those impacted by addiction in their family unit, and individuals with first-hand experience seeking recovery from substance use and eating disorders.
Panel members include the following:
Atlee Houser, a Collegiate Recovery alumna living in long-term recovery, has turned her passion for helping others with eating and substance use disorders into a career as a therapist in the community. Houser, who received her master’s degree from WVU, will share information on the opportunities the Mountain State offers to those living a recovery lifestyle.
Court Lanham, an alum who serves as the director of Diversity for WVU Health Sciences, will share lived experience as an individual with a parent dealing with addiction. They will speak on the panel in an effort to connect with others facing similar struggles, and to honor their father and allow his story to be told.
Preston Quigley, a sophomore social work major living in long-term recovery, is a student member of the Collegiate Recovery Program who advocates for those in or seeking recovery.
Lacey Sawyers, a teaching assistant professor in the mental health and addiction studies program and licensed professional counselor who received her master’s degree from WVU, specializes in the treatment of complex trauma and substance use disorders. Growing up in West Virginia, she has been personally affected by the opioid crisis and has built her career around decreasing stigma and increasing compassion towards individuals with substance use disorders.
The event is being held in recognition of National Recovery Month which honors and celebrates those living in recovery and promotes education and evidence-based treatment solutions.
Pizza will be served and the event is open to the public.
Learn more about WVU Collegiate Recovery.
For questions, contact Olivia Pape at Olivia.Pape@mail.wvu.edu.