Battling Back from Addiction, Parents Get Help to Reunite Family
Sheena Sparks and James Dixon of Jackson County in Eastern Kentucky have known each other since they were school children. As adults, they fell in love and had children, but their lives took a troubled turn when they began using drugs together.
“I guess it started out smoking pot,” said Dixon. “And then it gradually grew to pills and meth.”
They spent time in jail and lost custody of their children.
Once a child is removed from the home due to substance abuse issues, the road to family reunification is long. The court system’s requirements for counseling, parenting classes, and drug testing can be overwhelming and costly.
“They just expect so much of a little person. It ain’t like we’re rich or nothing,” said Dixon. “Every time, we asked the judge for help — because we told him we weren’t able to afford it. We wanted to do it — we just didn’t have the money to pay for these classes.”
Recovery Coaches and the Promise Neighborhood
Help for Sparks and Dixon arrived in the form of recovery coaches, who provide one-on-one counseling and support to parents who have lost custody of their children due to substance abuse. Locally, the program is part of the Berea College Promise Neighborhood, a school success initiative for Appalachian youth that is part of the college’s Partners for Education effort.
The nationally recognized recovery coach program fits in well with the mission of the Promise Neighborhood. “It’s helping families reunify and provide that safe place for children to be so that they are successful in school,” said Jennie Pollard, MSW, associate director of wellness and safety for Promise Neighborhood.
The Department for Community Based Services provides referrals for parents to the recovery coaches. The coaches work on goals defined by the parents. “One of the biggest parts of the recovery coach program is that participants lead the process,” Pollard said.
Coaches Have “Been There”
James Dixon was referred to recovery coach Thomas Johnson and Sheena Sparks was referred to Jenna Meglan. Like all recovery coaches nationwide, both Johnson and Meglen are in long-term recovery themselves, an important part of the model.
Meglen said the coaches are not part of the court system and don’t tell clients what to do, which helps build trust. “Knowing that I’m there to basically listen, and not tell them what’s wrong with them, and you need to do this and that, usually opens the door. And then I do disclose a little bit about my own recovery.”
Sparks appreciates the fact that Meglen has been in her shoes. “I love her to death,” she said, “because she reminds me of me when I was younger. … And I can open up to her, you know what I’m saying? Like, I almost relapsed before, and I called her.”
Substance Abuse Prevalent on Family Court Docket
The couple is among the many people with addiction issues that Family Court Judge Gene Clark sees in his courtroom. “It’s a huge problem,” he said. “Without substance abuse, my docket would be at least half.”
Judge Clark said the court system can be overwhelming to people, and the coaches provide much needed help. “Sometimes the court system comes at them in a big blur of information,” he said. “And they really can’t absorb it all. What I’ve found is the recovery coaches are the people that the clients look to” for help in walking through the process.
In addition to providing emotional support, the recovery coach program also offers financial help and transportation for court-ordered tasks.
“A majority of our participants have been through family court before we came,” said Jenna Meglen, Sparks’ recovery coach. “And it wasn’t a lack of desire, will, hope and love for their children. It was like they physically could not pay for it or get there.”
With the support of the coaches, clients like Dixon and Sparks have gotten their children back.
“That’s all a lot of people need is support. … We got custody back but if it weren’t for Thomas and Jenna, we wouldn’t,” said Sparks.
Dixon said they did everything the court asked them to do with the help of their coaches. “We’ve done it all with flying colors. We’ve proved everybody wrong. We’re straight and good now.”
Sparks said the coaches made the difference. “They’re angels,” she said.
This video is a KET production, funded in part by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
