- Friends & Family
- Mental Health
Submitted by: Susanne Johnson
I work for an organization focused on helping the homeless. I came to the Heroes in Recovery 6K in Fort Lauderdale because I love the cause. I work every day with a population that struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues and I want to show my support for them at an event like this one.
I will have been a therapist for three years. My job with the homeless is so very rewarding. What I learn from them is amazing. I am humbled and feel very honored to be in this position today. I’m not in recovery myself. I was a teacher for fifteen years, both my parents were teachers, and it was always in our family to help others. I went back to school to become a therapist. It has become my true passion.
In my role as a therapist, I run substance abuse groups, do individual counseling, and work with clients on sobriety maintenance. I work at a shelter and we have a protocol for people who want to come in. We do an assessment at entry and try to help every person according to his/her individual needs.
I came to the Heroes in Recovery 6K event to show my support. While the conditions were hot and humid, I was able to run and sometimes walk. What matters is that I crossed the finish line! I have been running for over a year now. I did my first half marathon in February. I believe that will be my last race of the season before it gets too hot.
No one that I’m aware of in my family struggled with either mental health problems or substance use disorders, but I come from a family which still has some stigma inside, so nobody would really talk about it. I hope races like this one and other awareness and advocacy groups and events will remove the stigma and make it easier for people to reach out for help. Nobody should need to wait until they lose everything before they get help from others.