Recovery Catholic Charities to take addiction counseling to the streets

ROCHESTER — An often-ignored aspect of the current opioid crisis is the way it affects the family members of a person as they try to cope with a substance use disorder.

One state agency has decided to tackle that issue by taking its message directly to members of the community.

In response to New Hampshire’s deadly opioid epidemic, Catholic Charities New Hampshire will send a team of clinicians skilled in addiction counseling across the state to meet with families coping with this crisis. The program is free and open to the public, to people from every walk of life and every faith.

“The decision to do this came about during the monthly meetings of our counseling team,” said the Rev. John J. Mahoney Jr., director of clinical services for CCNH. “We have 500 clients statewide and about 5 percent are dealing with SUD. We started talking about it, brainstorming and someone raised the question of the families involved. They are dealing with their own anxiety and depression as they try to help their family member.”

Mahoney said the goal with the new initiative is to go into the communities and help the families, by educating them in better ways to address and cope with the family dynamic of dealing with a person who has a substance use disorder.

“We want to help them heal and to move their own lives forward,” Mahoney said. “So we plan to host a series of workshops, facilitated by the counseling team.”

In the workshops, family members will learn how to spot the signs of a substance use disorder. They will learn how to avoid enabling behaviors and how to set boundaries. They will also receive information on the best way to find treatment.

“Addiction is a family disease,” Mahoney said. “I travel to parishes across the state. Everywhere I go, there are people struggling with this. The state estimates 488 overdose deaths in 2016. We needed to take action.”

Mahoney and the CCNH team want people to recognize addiction as a disease.

“The moral motto, that people are making this choice or that they should have more willpower is something we need to address,” Mahoney said. “We need to treat this as a disease if we are to succeed. This is still a challenge but the writing is on the wall and its high time for us to take action.”

In addition to his work with Catholic Charities, Mahoney sits on the board of the Friends of New Hampshire Drug Courts. He is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and a canon lawyer.

Counselors will conduct a series of presentations on substance use disorder and its impact on families in November and December in Epping, Rochester and Manchester.

“We will start here, but our plan is to expand into communities within the state,” Mahoney said. “We started with these to see how they are received and to plan for more. We don’t want to be overwhelmed but we are committed to helping.”

The “Families Coping with the Opioid Crisis” presentations will focus on addiction as a disease that affects the family. Sessions will be led by counselors trained in substance use disorder who use the medical model of addiction counseling. Topics will include opioids and the brain, signs of opioid use, setting boundaries with an addicted person and avoiding enabling behavior.

Presentations will be held at Holy Rosary Parish in Rochester on Nov. 30, St. Joseph Parish in Epping on Dec. 6, and Blessed Sacrament Parish in Manchester on Dec. 13. All will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and will offer opportunities to ask questions.

In addition to Mahoney, members of the team include Barry Lewis, Danielle Capelle and Sister Mary Joseph.

To learn more about Catholic Charities New Hampshire, visit www.cc-nh.org.