Collegiate Recovery Programs: Supporting Second Chances - March 2018

Collegiate Recovery Programs: Supporting Second Chances was presented on Tuesday March 27, 2018; by Mary Jo Desprez, MA; Director, Wolverine Wellness, University Health Service, University of Michigan; Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC; University of Michigan Collegiate Recovery Program Manager; and a panel of University of Michigan Students for Recovery members. The transition to a college environment can pose significant risk to a recovering student and to students at risk for alcohol/other drug problems. Many colleges and universities, including the University of Michigan, have developed programs to help recovering students maintain their recovery, excel academically and have a normative college experience apart from the culture of alcohol and other drug use. This presentation will provide an overview of the national and local efforts to build recovery support programs on college campuses, discuss support that is provided to recovering students by collegiate recovery programs, and provide information about what parents and students can look for as they explore their options for pursuing a degree of higher education. The panel will share their stories of Collegiate Recovery Program participation.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the Presenters:
Mary Jo Desprez, MA is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received her BA (1985) and MA (1987) from Michigan State University. She has worked in the field of college health/wellness for over 30 years. As Director of Wolverine Wellness at University Health Service she leads a team of professionals that provide primary leadership for student wellness initiatives including alcohol and other drug; prevention, early intervention and recovery support, body image, eating disorders, sexual health, wellness coaching, and other college health related issues. She serves as the Co-Chair for the Student Life Health and Wellness Collect Impact initiative and the Ann Arbor Campus and Community Coalition (A2C3.) She was the former Co-Chair of the Michigan Campus Coalition (MC3.) She is a Center Affiliate for the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. In October 2010, she became a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and a Co-Lead Facilitator for Leadershape, Inc. Mary Jo is also an adjunct instructor at Eastern Michigan University. In additional to her work at UHS she also conducts trainings and facilitates workshops on Motivational Interviewing and Resilience.

Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC
Matt Statman is the Manager of the Collegiate Recovery Program at the University of Michigan and faculty advisor to the University of Michigan Students for Recovery. He is an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University school of Social Work and a Board Member of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education. Matt worked with Dawn Farm from 2004 through 2012, first as a House Manager and Resident Aid and later as a Detox Counselor and Detox Team Leader. After obtaining his MSW, Matt worked as an Outpatient Therapist and an Administrator and Therapist in Dawn Farm’s Correctional Programs, and as a Residential Therapist at Dawn Farm Downtown. Matt was the Dawn Farm Education Series coordinator from 2007 through 2012. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2009 with his BSW and received his MSW from the University of Michigan in 2010. In July 2017 Matt received the Kitty L. Harris Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Recovery in Higher Education.