Hi, I’m Michele, the Executive Director of Plymouth Area Recovery Center (PARC). I am a Certified Recovery Support Worker, I have a degree in Addiction Counseling, and am pursuing my LADC. The first five years of my journey in this field were spent working in an inpatient substance use program. I am a person in long term recovery and like so many others I’ve experienced setbacks along the way. Experience has provided me with the tools to assist others along their journey. Creating healthy connections, being person-centered, and removing obstacles are my areas of focus. These areas of focus are invaluable in creating the building blocks for mental wellness and sustainable recovery for me.
My name is Jeremy and I’m a person in long term recovery. What this means to me is I work every day to be a better person than I was yesterday. I continue to practice acceptance to help me deal with life. You see, I did methamphetamine for twenty years. I had childhood and adult trauma. Recovery to me means that I’ve worked through those traumas. Recovery has taught me so many things, not least of which, if I change my thinking, I change my emotions, which change my behavior.
The last time I did meth was January 11th, 2017. Long story short, I moved to New Hampshire from Little Rock, Arkansas to get sober. I found recovery through SMART Recovery which taught me the tools I need to change my thinking and manage my emotions. I also had to deal with my mental health through counseling. I’ve learned there is a huge difference between being sober and being in recovery. Being sober was the easy part. Being in recovery was and is the work I put in to maintain sobriety and the life I now have. My recovery is a combination of different programs. I use many different tools from several different recovery programs, including SMART Recovery, the 12 Steps, and the Three Principles. The more tools I have, the better my recovery.
I continue to work on my recovery, and I’ve been working in recovery since 2018. My goal is to lead by example and show the freedom and peace that recovery offers to those still struggling.
Board Members:
Susan Amburg, Susan serves as the Director of the Whole Village Family Resource Center in Plymouth, an initiative of Granite United Way. She has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit administration. She currently serves as Chair of PARC’s Board of Directors. She also serves on the boards of Family Support NH, Lower Grafton County Council for Young Children and Families, Central NH Public Health Advisory Council, Project Care, and the Plymouth State University Center for Healthy Communities Advisory Board. She holds a B.A. from Williams College and is the proud mother/stepmother of three and grandmother of one.
Susan Laverack, Care Coordinator, Speare Memorial Hospital
Sarah Smolen, Sarah has worked in the Plymouth community for the last ten years in both community mental health and residential treatment. Sarah is currently finishing her masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a focus in Addictions Treatments and has a bachelors degree in psychology. Sarah has been a member of the CADY Advisory Board and Restorative Justice panel member since 2016, volunteered at women’s shelters, and other community agencies for at-risk populations. She is passionate about helping others, improving accessibility to resources in the community, recovery, and mental health.
Robin Hausheer, EdD, NCC, LPC (Idaho) is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Plymouth State University. Dr. Hausheer is the coordinator of the Master of Education in School Counseling program and the Addictions Treatment certificate. She has worked as an elementary school counselor in the public sector, and has experience providing clinical counseling in inpatient psychiatric and college counseling settings, and the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center. Dr. Hausheer has provided trainings on underage drinking prevention, parent education, ethics, and curriculum development. Dr. Hausheer has co-authored publications on underage drinking prevention and intervention, and has presented at regional, state, and national conferences. Dr. Hausheer earned her master’s and doctoral degrees from Boise State University. She is a member of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, the American Counseling Association, the American School Counseling Association, the New Hampshire School Counseling Association, and the North Atlantic Region of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision.
Jennifer Schmidt, Assistant Director for Child and Family Services at Lakes Region Mental Health Center and has been employed with the agency for 19 years. Jennifer also teach part time as adjunct faculty at Plymouth State University in the graduate program for mental health counseling. She is a long time resident of Campton, NH and is invested in community partners and collaborations that make the community such a great place to live and work.