Under new leadership, WINGS Support and Recovery is working to help community members continue their recovery during the current pandemic.
“This isn’t a time to give up on your recovery, but to take it seriously and use those coping skills you’ve learned,” said Julli Griesheimer, Executive Director of WINGS.
Griesheimer, a licensed social worker and licensed independent chemical dependency counselor, was hired to the position March 27.
She holds a Master’s Degree of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s Degree of Science in Social Work from The Ohio State University.
She said she has previously worked at behavioral health agencies in Bellefontaine and Lima, but was drawn to the tight community in Marysville.
The area’s strong community is displayed by WINGS’s “robust peer support,” she said, which has continued despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Peer supporters” are individuals who are farther along in their recovery journey and can help others to take steps toward their own rehabilitation.
Griesheimer likened them to “frontline workers” who are crucial in connecting those in need with resources.
“The value you can get from somebody that has a lived experience can’t be undervalued,” she said.
She said connecting with someone who “knows what it’s like” to pursue recovery builds trust and empowers others to do so themselves.
For instance, she said not everyone seeking recovery from substance use of mental health disorders is interested in pursuing formalized treatment.
She said doing so can be intimidating because “it can feel like you have to admit to the whole world what you’re going through.”
However, she said connecting with a peer supporter allows them to find steps to take where they’re at.
“It makes their recovery theirs,” Griesheimer explained.
For this reason, she said she is excited about expanding the current peer support system further within the community of those recovering from substance use.
WINGS currently has peer supporters who work with Union County’s drug court programming.
“They’re trying to make sure this is not just their last time using (drugs or alcohol), but their last experience with the criminal justice system,” Griesheimer said.
Griesheimer said she hopes to expand the program to work with child services in the area in to help families to “stay intact” while a parent or guardian is seeking recovery.
Beyond one-to-one peer connections, she said WINGS also hosts support groups for a variety of communities, ranging from: living with diabetes, anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression. They also host yoga and art therapy groups.
While peer supporters and support groups can’t meet in person during the Stay at Home order, Griesheimer said they are continuing to meet online using a videoconference platform called WebX.
Likewise, she said drop-in center at WINGS is currently closed.
But, Griesheimer said its services – including employment assistance and benefits assistance – are still available virtually.
“We’re still open and taking new clients” over the phone and video calls, she added.
While it’s difficult to be physically apart, Griesheimer said it’s important to take precautions that keep staff and community members healthy.
“We’re not meeting in-person right now, but in this day and age we don’t really have to,” she said, noting the ability to connect online.
She said feels as though Gov. Mike DeWine and ODH Director Dr. Amy Acton have been “proactive” in ensuring mental health services are still accessible.
The local community is following the state’s leadership, Griesheimer said, in making sure help is available to those in need.
Griesheimer encouraged anyone in need of assistance to call WINGS at (937) 642-9555. Aside from mental health support, she said staff will work to connect those in need of food, clothing or more information with the appropriate resources.
She said those in need of immediate help should call the 24/7 Crisis Line at (800) 731-5577 or text ‘4HELP’ to 85511.