Jill's mission is to provide hope, healing, and transformation to family members affected by a loved one's substance use disorder. Jill is the owner-operator of Family Recovery Support, LLC, which was created to fulfill this mission by providing Family Recovery Life Coaching services for both individuals and families.
My professional background includes:
- Bachelor of Business Administration, University of Baltimore
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
- Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Clincial Nurse
- Certified Integrated Health Coach, Institute of Integrated Nutrition;
- Student Assistance Program (SAP) Specialist, Caron Treatment Centers
- Baltimore County Public Schools, Nurse, Dulaney High School, Cockeysville, MD
- Director of Life Recovery Faith based 12 Step program, Grace Fellowship Church Shrewsbury
- Certified BALM ® Family Recovery Life Coach, BALM ® Institute for Family Recovery Life Coach Training - ACTP
My entry into Family Recovery Coaching came about because of my personal journey with family addiction. Because of this journey, I am passionate about coming alongside family members that have a loved one trapped in the disease of addiction.
Here is a synopsis of my story:
I was a high school nurse from 1999-2007. In my role as a school nurse, I had a deep desire to educate students, parents, and faculty members about the signs, symptoms, and destructiveness of alcohol and drug addiction. In December 2008, my husband and I never in our worst nightmares thought we would be dealing first hand with family addiction. It was at this time that we learned that our beautiful, talented, 17-year-old daughter had a heroin addiction. This discovery rocked our world, especially since I was a trained high school nurse and I
"knew everything about addiction."
As with most families, the power of denial had been in effect for several years. My husband and I had sensed that something wasn't going right with our daughter, but it certainly couldn't be drugs. We suspected depression and/or a possible eating disorder due to her weight loss. Gradually, things started to unravel, and we sought counseling for our daughter. On December 6, 2008, our daughter admitted she was a heroin addict. Based on my school nursing experience, I knew that, with heroin addiction, we were in for a long haul. Fortunately, my husband and I were both able to accept this as reality, painful as it was. I also knew that her drug addiction was extremely more powerful then we were. We needed the wise counsel of experts to direct us in the direction we should go. I would be remiss not to mention that, first and foremost, our faith in God directed and carried us through as well. I surrendered my daughter and the process to God. For this, I am extremely grateful! Our journey has taken many twists and turns, and I am happy to say that our daughter is now 31 years old and has 13 1/2 years of sobriety! This took a lot of hard work on her part. Just as important, it took a lot of work on my part as well. I have learned that addiction is ultimately a spiritual disease that devastates the health, emotions, and relationships of the entire family.
My experience is that the addict and the parents, spouse, and siblings all become ill, and sometimes the addict is not the sickest person in the house. Fortunately, our family is no longer stuck in family illness. I still have trials and struggles, but I have the proper tools to stay on my side of the street and to "be a loving mirror" to my daughter. As you read my story, I hope you feel a sense of hope. I know when I first found out about my daughter's addiction, I wanted to read and hear success stories.
Unfortunately, not all addictions end with success, and I know that my daughter could relapse any day due to the nature of addiction. As it says in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, addiction is "cunning, baffling, and powerful". As a family recovery coach, I have been able to walk family members through the healing process of dealing with their loved one's addiction. I have studied the
"Be a Loving Mirror" (BALM
®
)
principles and use these principles in helping my clients either begin their family recovery journey or reinforce the one that they already are on.
Please reach out to me. You do not have to suffer in silence, secrecy, and shame. It is possible to break the chain of addiction!