Sobriety is not the opposite of addiction: The peer specialist story | Melissa Dittberner | TEDxUSD

Peer Support and Recovery. A peer specialist is a person with lived experiences that has the expertise to help others navigate through the process of recovery based on training and their experiences. Peer support is a best practice for recovery care but is not being utilized in the ways it could be because of the stigma surrounding addiction, mental health, and recovery. As a person in long-term recovery, I have dedicated my efforts to be a voice for those who feel they cannot use theirs because they are struggling with a disease of the brain that we stigmatize so horribly as a society. I am trying hard to help people learn to help themselves, especially in the wake of the addiction crisis. Dr. Mo, (Melissa Dittberner), PhD, CPS, PS, LMT, is a lecturer in the Addiction Counseling and Prevention department at the University of South Dakota. She has a Ph.D. in Counseling and Psychology in Education, a master’s in Addiction Studies, and a bachelor’s in Health Sciences. Dr. Mo is also a public speaker, prevention specialist, and peer support. She is the president of Straight Up Care, a telehealth platform for peer supports. Dr. Mo is a co-author of the book Shift Mindset. She does research on college students’ substance use, pedagogy, addiction, trauma, body brokering, tattoos and healing and harm reduction. Dr. Mo is a person in long-term recovery and her mission is to help people learn to help themselves. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

• #nonprofits_activism
• #addiction
• #english
• #health
• #recovery
• #struggle
• #tedxtalks
• #tedxeid51513