Lisa Ricci is grateful to WMC Health’s Behavioral Health Center at MidHudson Regional Hospital for helping her to overcome mental health issues and giving her the chance to help others who struggle with addiction and mental illness.
Lisa, 38, of Pleasant Valley, was 14 years old when she began to feel the urge to harm herself. But it wasn’t until she was 24 and had a serious traumatic experience that she became unstable. She was first hospitalized in 2010 and over the next year was hospitalized three times. Eventually, Lisa entered an intensive outpatient program at HealthAlliance Hospital where she was able to get the help she needed to turn her life around.
Today, Lisa is a mentor and group leader with People USA and leads a peer group at MidHudson Regional Hospital three days a week. She recently earned her certification as a recovery peer advocate.
“I advocate for people with mental health issues and substance abuse. It’s very rewarding. What I have to offer is very special because I can say ‘I get it. I know what it’s like to be there.’”
Now, Lisa is the one who is helping others turn their lives around. Are there days when she feels down? Yes, she says.
“Recovery is not aways linear,” she said. “But now I have the skills to cope with the challenges.”
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