{"id":69703,"date":"2023-01-12T17:39:47","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T01:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/?p=69703"},"modified":"2025-02-26T15:32:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T23:32:50","slug":"strength-of-lived-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/AnaisaFlores","title":{"rendered":"Program fills behavioral health worker shortage with lived experience: Anaisa Flores’ journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cWhen I think about work, I think about excitement,\u201d Anaisa Flores says, her smile felt through the phone. \u201cI want people to know it\u2019s possible to better yourself.\u201d  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past year, Anaisa has experienced rapid growth in her career. She joined the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) as a peer specialist, started the San Diego Workforce Partnership\u2019s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselor Training<\/a> program and completed 315 hours of education requirements, landing herself a promotion to a SUD Registered Counselor.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She is now completing 255 hours of SUD supervised practicum at a NAMI clinic and will complete the remainder of her 2,080 supervised counseling hours there.\u202f\u201cI would like to become a certified counselor and work in the field for a couple of years. Then I\u2019d like to go back to school for a master’s degree in counseling,\u201d Anaisa explains.\u202f\u202f<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anaisa\u2019s career pathway in behavioral health will prove invaluable over the next several years as San Diego County falls 8,000 behavioral health workers short of its population\u2019s need<\/a>. The SUD program is helping to fill that gap and support individuals making a significant improvement to their quality of their life through the reduction or elimination of substance use. Anaisa\u2019s participation in SUD and hands-on training will reach thousands of people. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Substance Use Disorder Counselor Training<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How do I use the hope and ability to start my life over to help others and motivate them to do the same?<\/p>Anaisa Flores, Substance Use Disorder Counselor Training participant<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

When she looks back at the last couple of years, Anaisa is very aware of her progress and triumph over the difficult barriers she faced. Before joining SUD, she was working through challenges in her personal life, coming to terms with past substance use and recent relapses, while continuing to navigate how to work and live with a learning disability. While she was figuring out what she wanted to do next and \u201ctrying to find purpose in her life\u201d Anaisa started getting sober.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She first learned about SUD through her stepdad. He was enrolled in an internship through the Workforce Partnership program and shared his experience with her. He encouraged her to look into SUD as she had long wanted to become a case manager, supporting others on their path to health and happiness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SUD’s unique combination of education and supportive services\u2014which provides one-on-one support and covers all expenses, including tuition, registration as a substance use disorder registered counselor, textbooks and certification\u2014is designed to help individuals like Anaisa become a certified substance use disorder counselor. Individuals in recovery or with lived experience are highly encouraged to apply. “The value of lived experience as an SUD counselor cannot be underestimated,” says Cathryn Nacario, CEO of NAMI. “Being able to identify and empathize with a person’s journey in recovery is truly an act of kindness and compassion.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the first time that Anaisa’s lived experience was seen as a strength rather than a weakness. She was inspired to take the jump and enroll in SUD, asking herself, \u201cHow do I use the hope and ability to start my life over to help others and motivate them to do the same?\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anaisa started SUD in spring 2022, finding the fast-paced program challenging at times since it had been some time since she was enrolled in school. \u201cIt was a mental battle to focus on study hours, learning to prioritize and getting through what needed to be done, all while juggling work and a personal life,\u201d she says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her career navigators, Natasha Cruz and Morgan Belden, were there for her from the beginning. She felt that their support was instrumental in helping her not get lost in the schooling part of the program. \u201cCompared to her experience in college where she felt like just a number in the system, SUD made me feel heard and supported,\u201d Anaisa shares. \u201cThis is a good program where support is received in the right way; knowing that someone was there to communicate with was huge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Lived Experience to Experiencing Life<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Anaisa has worked at NAMI for over a year in a clinic serving individuals referred for prescriptions and counseling. As a counselor, Anaisa is connecting clients to inpatient and outpatient resources, support, and programs. She is building up her caseload and starting to see substance use disorder clients. Her supervisors run weekly follow-ups and check-ins with her, which means that she is accountable to her clients and they are accountable to her.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of her clients come from underserved populations with personal situations that are very tough. Anaisa believes it\u2019s her job to \u201chelp them find hope again.\u201d She wants them to know that they can find a solution and move into recovery.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explains that most people know how to get sober and how to get to certain points in their recovery, they might just need support to stay there. If someone comes in but decides not to pursue support, she says that she always lets them know that we are here for them, even if they aren\u2019t ready for support now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s easy to get boundaries crossed,\u201d Anaisa explains. SUD taught her how to build healthy boundaries so that she can provide the best care for her clients without losing herself in the dark parts of their stories. \u201cI see the hard part of it, but I can\u2019t lose that hope. The counselors must have that hope. They must live that example and show clients that you can get out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to the Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping to give back. Having a regular conversation or an average day can change someone\u2019s life.<\/p>Anaisa Flores, SUD program participant<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Prior to starting the SUD program, Anaisa didn\u2019t realize that she could get a master\u2019s degree in counseling. After meeting a supervisor with one, she instantly became determined to earn her own. \u201cNow that I know it\u2019s out there, I\u2019m going to go after it,\u201d she says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anaisa is registering with the California Association of DUI Treatment Programs to become a registered substance use disorder counselor. Through NAMI, she\u2019s taking classes at RIH Academy where she\u2019s learning strategies to address all sorts of situations she might encounter while working. Once these hours are done, \u201cI would like to become a certified counselor and work in the field for a couple of years,\u201d Anaisa explains. \u201cThen I\u2019d like to go back to school for my master’s degree in counseling.\u201d\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she looks back on her own lived experience, she remembers how one counselor shared encouraging words that she had heard a million times. But for whatever reason, in that moment, on that day, the words hit differently and truly changed her life. \u201cThat\u2019s what I\u2019m hoping to give back. Having a regular conversation or an average day can change someone\u2019s life.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After struggling with her own behavioral health and substance use, Anaisa Flores got connected with the Workforce Partnership’s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselor Training program. With 315 hours of education completed, Anaisa tells about her plans for certification, graduate school and why lived experience is a strength, not a weakness.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":70153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,74],"tags":[204],"class_list":["post-69703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-faces-workforce","tag-substance-use-counselor-training"],"better_featured_image":{"id":70153,"alt_text":"0123234200021","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":1824,"height":1026,"file":"2023\/01\/0123234200021.jpg","filesize":1202764,"sizes":{"medium":{"file":"0123234200021-300x169.jpg","width":300,"height":169,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":22077,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-300x169.jpg"},"large":{"file":"0123234200021-1024x576.jpg","width":1024,"height":576,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":93946,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-1024x576.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"file":"0123234200021-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":17449,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-150x150.jpg"},"medium_large":{"file":"0123234200021-768x432.jpg","width":768,"height":432,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":60771,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-768x432.jpg"},"1536x1536":{"file":"0123234200021-1536x864.jpg","width":1536,"height":864,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":190925,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-1536x864.jpg"},"post-thumb":{"file":"0123234200021-262x147.jpg","width":262,"height":147,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":19955,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-262x147.jpg"},"medium-cropped":{"file":"0123234200021-700x700.jpg","width":700,"height":700,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":104433,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-700x700.jpg"},"16-9":{"file":"0123234200021-1200x675.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":122772,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-1200x675.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1","keywords":[]}},"post":69703,"source_url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021.jpg"},"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021.jpg",1824,1026,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-768x432.jpg",768,432,true],"large":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-1536x864.jpg",1536,864,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021.jpg",1824,1026,false],"post-thumb":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-262x147.jpg",262,147,true],"medium-cropped":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-700x700.jpg",700,700,true],"16-9":["https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0123234200021-1200x675.jpg",1200,675,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"

After struggling with her own behavioral health and substance use, Anaisa Flores got connected with the Workforce Partnership’s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Counselor Training program. With 315 hours of education completed, Anaisa tells about her plans for certification, graduate school and why lived experience is a strength, not a weakness.<\/span><\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"All news<\/a>, Faces of Workforce<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Jenna Little","url":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/author\/jennalittle\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69703"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97556,"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69703\/revisions\/97556"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/workforce.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}