At 45 years old, Michelle is starting over. Once a terrifying thought for her, she’s now filled with a profound sense of freedom and openness, but her journey to this point has not been easy.
In the past, Michelle found herself in a number of different jobs. After working in the mental health field as a counselor and case manager for over seven years, she transitioned to a diverse collection of roles in home health, tutoring, and even cake decorating. Despite her incredible skill set, Michelle often found herself teetering on the edge of burnout while she juggled work and grappled with substance use issues. The COVID-19 pandemic became the final push she needed to take a step back, re-evaluate her life, and find the motivation to address her addiction. This led her to a halfway house and eventually to St. Francis House.
Now, with the help of SFH’s workforce development program–the Moving Ahead Program (MAP)– Michelle is rediscovering herself and setting clear goals for the first time. “It’s just nice to have a setting and a program that allows you to make these decisions in an informed way,” she reflects. “It’s great to have a team behind you to help guide you to what you want to do.”
Even though Michelle entered the program with basic job experience and skills like resume building, MAP has offered her much more. Through various assessments, she’s found herself considering careers she never imagined. Michelle is committed to herself in a way she never has been before, realizing, “I’m at my halfway house, I’m here, I can take a pause and re-enter the job field intentionally, very intentionally, with clear goals and objectives and a clear plan. I didn’t have that when I graduated from college.”
Recently celebrating seven months of sobriety, Michelle’s story is one filled with hope. “I can only see great things for myself on the horizon. No matter what it is, I’ll be ready for it,” she says. The good things happening in her life now are a direct result of her commitment to herself and to the MAP program. “Absolutely nothing bad has happened as a result of me doing anything good for myself in this way. Everything that I’m doing for me, being selfish and selfless in the right way, feels better.”
As Michelle continues her journey, she carries with her the lessons of the past, the support of her family and the team at SFH, and the newfound clarity that MAP has helped her achieve. She’s stepping into her future with a sense of purpose and freedom, ready to embrace whatever comes her way.
