"Whether they're in the beginning of recovery or the end of recovery, I know that they're going to succeed here."
Charla fell into drug abuse at an early age. Struggling with addiction, she remembers the isolation she lived with for years.
"I got started on drugs when I was nine," Charla says. "I felt like I was alone, until I came to the Wellness Center."
Charla began visiting NVCSS Wellness Centers: welcoming spaces where adults can engage in their personal wellness and recovery journey. The centers provide a supportive, stigma-free space for individuals navigating mental health challenges, offering programs that support both personal and collective healing.
Today, Charla works with NVCSS, offering paths to wellness.
As a Peer Advocate at the STANS Wellness & Recovery Center, Charla supports individuals on their recovery journey by offering understanding, encouragement, and hope from someone who truly understands the challenges they may be facing.
"My role is to support people with lived experience and teaching them through lived experience how they can manage their own recovery," says Charla.
"I have a passion - just a deep passion for working with this clientele," Charla says, reflecting on how her own lived experience can help others. "I felt good that I could say 'Hey, I've been there.'"
For Charla, peer support is more than a job. It's a way to walk alongside others using the power of lived experience. Recovery looks different for everyone, but no one should have to navigate it alone.
"Whether they're in the beginning of recovery or the end of recovery, I know that they're going to succeed here," Charla says confidently.
