Be a Part of the Conversation, a nonprofit based in Ardmore working to reduce the stigma of substance use and support families, is holding a free, three-week Family Recovery Course in Warrington starting Saturday.
The course, designed for parents and guardians whose child has struggled with substance use and addiction, will take place in person at BuxMont Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Street Road. The two-and-a-half hour course will take place Saturday mornings for three weeks — Sept. 27, Oct. 4, Oct. 11 — from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Be a Part of the Conversation started in 2011 after community members of the Hatboro-Horsham School District wanted to raise awareness about the effects of addiction and substance use. Hatboro-Horsham administrators transferred the intellectual property to the nonprofit organization that is Be a Part of the Conversation today.
Kim Porter, Executive Director of Be a Part of the Conversation, founded the organization after raising her children in Horsham and facing her son’s struggles with substance use.
“The time was right for us to really have a lot of public facing community programs,” she said.
On Be a Part of the Conversation’s 10 year anniversary, Porter wrote about her journey and the help of the other parents while attending parent support group with her son, Daniel. After developing a support group, Porter wrote she felt ready to be a resource to other families.
“I should say, what’s really important to me about all this is I have a son who is today, and has been in recovery for 15-and-a-half years, and this is why I started this organization, with a lot of help from some other folks 14 years ago,” she said.
Today, Be a Part of the Conversation has agreements with Montgomery, Bucks, Chester, and Delaware Counties holding about 50 community programs each year in efforts to educate the community and reduce the stigma. In 14 years, the organization has hosted nearly 500 events with over 32,000 participants.
The Family Recovery Course is part of Be a Part of the Conversation’s overall mission to equip families and communities in Pennsylvania with resources and skills to understand substance use and addiction.
The three part course was developed three years ago for parents, guardians and relatives in a parental role, whose child, at any age, has struggled with substance use. While the course is often conducted through Zoom, the Warrington course will be one of the few in-person courses offered to give attendees a chance to be physically present with others.
Be a Part of the Conversation has seen over 90% retention through all three parts and recommends completing the course to receive the full benefits. Each week attendees will work through understanding addiction, how it has affected their family, and how to build upon recovery.
“We want people to understand that the family as a whole can recover, regardless of how our loved one with a substance use disorder is doing on their journey, but our recovery tends to really help to move the needle for [ our loved one ] a little bit, so that they’re feeling like things have changed,” Porter said.
Courses are limited to a maximum of 12 participants which helps instructors ensure productive discussions and support throughout the curriculum. The intimacy of the group can be less intimidating for newcomers, Porter said. Be a Part of the Conversation ensures confidentiality in its services, so family members feel comfortable attending and sharing their experiences.
“We really hope that families will see that there’s nothing to be ashamed of.” – Kim Porter, Executive Director of Be a Part of the Conversation
Trained peer instructors, who have experienced a child with SUD, will facilitate the course to make it approachable for families who may feel isolated or unsure where to turn. The trained instructors attend quarterly meetings and retreats with experts to stay updated on information and effectively lead the course.
“We’re very fortunate that we have a lot of experts who help to keep that information really fresh, and making sure that the information is current,” Porter said.
Porter, as one of the instructors, has been able to hear the impact the course has on attendees and their families. Porter says people talk about taking better care of themself to support their loved one in recovery, the community they found, and feeling understood.
“One of my favorite things is when there’s a person who’s new in the room, they can’t even talk because they’re so emotional, and six months later, they’re supporting the next newcomer,” Porter said.
Porter says that stigma surrounding substance use is a huge barrier and it can be an uphill battle to get people to talk about it. Be a Part of the Conversation is challenging that stigma by holding those conversations.
“We really hope that families will see that there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Porter said.
Be a Part of the Conversation offers community programs covering various topics on family, substances, co-occurring disorders, process addictions, maladaptive behaviors, and more. Programs are free to attend, and past programs can be found on Be a Part of the Conversations’s YouTube channel.
The programs and services offered are intended as peer support for educational and prevention purposes. Be a Part of the Conversation says its programs do not provide behavioral health advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
“Anytime we see a family who’s struggling that feels definitely beyond our scope, we will refer them to a treatment professional and talk with them one on one,” Porter said.
In addition to their programs and Family Recovery Course, Be a Part of the Conversation holds weekly Parent Partnership meetings and now Sibling Partnership meetings. The Family Partnership meetings are free, weekly support groups led by volunteers for loved ones to share their experiences.
Sibling Partnership meetings are a new service to provide support to siblings 18 years and older affected by substance use disorders. Porter said the support group is an important resource as siblings express feeling their needs are secondary to their brother or sister with an SUD.
The services and programs Be a Part of the Conversation provides are free with the help from donors and funding from Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware County. The Warrington Family Recovery course is free due to support from the Bucks County Drug & Alcohol Commission, Inc. The nonprofit has also launched a membership campaign, the Conversation Circle, to help keep services free of charge.
“I want to keep this going for as long as possible,” said Porter. “We can only do that with continued funding, and the way the climate is right now, a lot of our donors have some financial insecurity.”
Porter and Be a Part of the Conversation is committed to continue providing support. The organization is looking to reach other states and are working toward creating a warm line for families to call for support.
Despite financial concerns, Be a Part of the Conversation sparks the dialogue on substance use in the face of stigma. Porter says she has seen the impact sharing stories can have on families affected by substance use and the stigma surrounding it.
“I mean, there’s so many people in recovery who share their stories with us that is invaluable to reduce that stigma,” said Porter.
People not ready to join in on the conversation can visit Be a Part of the Conversation’s website (and social media) to access their many resources.
