We are excited to welcome Certified Peer Timothie Smith as a contributing author this month!
Q: How long have you been with the ODMHSAS and what is your role?
A: I have been working for the ODMHSAS for over a year as a Peer Recovery Services Training Specialist. Part of my job is to train and certify new Peer Recovery Support Specialists (PRSS) entering the field and provide continuing education trainings throughout the year. I love my role and being able to help train new PRSS is an honor and a privilege.
Q: How did you get involved in the PRSS program?
A: I found peer recovery by way of my mother. She worked at a local peer-led Recovery Community Organization (RCO) in Oklahoma City. At the time I was still living in my hometown in California and was experiencing both a substance use disorder and severe mental health issues. Once I was able to find personal recovery, I started speaking to my mother about the work she did, and she shared her experience working with a Peer Support program and Certified Peers in general. This sparked my interest and I decided to move to Oklahoma in 2017 to join my mother and become a PRSS!
Within weeks I was in my own PRSS Certification training and before I knew it, I was a Certified PRSS working with at-risk youth. Now several years later, I get to be a PRSS Certification trainer and I am so grateful.
Q: How would you say the LGBTQIA2S+ community is affected by mental health and addiction issues?
A: Working in the behavioral health field, it’s common knowledge that the LGBTQIA2S+ community is at a much higher risk of developing a substance use disorder and having a mental health diagnosis. In fact, Trans-identifying individuals are at 4 times the average risk, including suicide.
According to SAMHSA, nearly 28% of LGBTQIA+ young adults aged 18 – 25 and nearly 15% of LGBTQIA+ adults aged 26 – 49 had serious thoughts of suicide in 2019. While this is staggering given the small population density in this community, nearly 6% of individuals 18-25 attempted suicide while only 2.2% of adults attempted suicide in 2019.
Q: How can a PRSS positively impact this community?
A: It's important for Certified Peers to know how to be supportive and dig deeper with people who identify on the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum. Having access to resources is vital, but so is simply listening. Actively engaging with individuals in need and showing them that you are there to help guide them on their recovery journey is an important role of a PRSS.
LGBTQ+ youth are more than twice as likely to report experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness than their heterosexual peers.
When working with members of a community that you are either unfamiliar with or unsure how to support, remember you can ask questions! For example, share your pronouns (She, He, They, Ze, etc.) and ask the consumer to share theirs so you know how to correctly speak to and about them in your work as their PRSS. This may seem simple, but it can really jumpstart the connection process and help establish a bond right away. Some of the best things folks can do to be supportive, especially in terms of Behavioral Health, is to remain open-minded and hold consumers in constant positive regard no matter how they identify. That is the critical part, everything else can be learned.
Q: How will 988 be a resource for this community?
A: The 988 Mental Health Lifeline will be a huge help to LGBTQIA+ communities. In the event of a crisis, they can call an easy, 3-digit number and be linked with resources, find support and even have a mobile crisis response team be sent out to evaluate and assist if needed. Talking and/or texting with a mental health professional could be more appealing than seeking similar support from a traditional medical physician.
Q: How would you say the ODMHSAS has participated in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)?
A: In my time with the ODMHSAS, I have seen DEI be a centerpiece of discussion and policymaking for the agency from the top down. I currently sit on the ODMHSAS IDEA Committee, a group that is working to maintain DEI initiatives laid out by leadership and spearhead further inclusive initiatives and policy changes where needed. It certainly feels as though there is communal buy-in from staff at all levels. I truly believe that is how change happens and it is awesome to be a part of it.
Recovery looks different to everyone, and Timothie is no exception. Outside of work you can find Timothie riding their bike and being active or purchasing more house plants to add to their collection! They have two cats, a beautiful Persian named Manface, and an always-hungry black cat named Disraeli. Timothie also has the good-est boy in the world, a dog named Sirius and a total spaz named Hank. Learn more about Timothie and the PRSS Division at ODMHSAS.
Helpful resources:
What Are Pronouns? Why Do They Matter? — Pronouns.org Resources on Personal Pronouns
The Diversity Center: Contact - Diversity Center Of Oklahoma Inc
PFLAG OK: Advocacy and Support - PFLAG Oklahoma City
Freedom Oklahoma: Freedom Oklahoma
Thrive OKC: Thrive | Sexual Health Collective For Youth (thriveokc.org)
National Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
- Author
Timothie Smith, Recovery Support Service Training Specialist
Timothie Smith, C-PRSS-Y,S is a person in long-term Recovery from Alcohol, Substances, and Trauma & Mental Health diagnoses. They are one of the Recovery Support Training Specialists on the PRSS Team for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS). They are also a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist themselves, having gotten certified in the State of Oklahoma in 2017 after gaining stability and self-sufficiency through personal Recovery. Prior to them becoming a member of the PRSS Team, they were in Direct Care as a PRSS and PRSS Supervisor at a local Oklahoma City Recovery Community Organization for 4 years. Timothie is a firm believer in the idea that Recovery is possible for all, and the realities of Recovery can be achieved by anyone who wants it. Timothie lives and works in Oklahoma City and is a lover of books, good food, traveling & animals, they have 2 Dogs (Hank & Sirius) and 2 Cats (Manface & Disraeli).
