Bridging Recovery to Paths of Possibility

The Office of Collegiate Recovery (OCR) is focused on coordinating efforts that help students fulfill recovery goals (i.e., harm reduction, abstinence) related to alcohol and/or other substances while simultaneously pursuing a college education.

The services of the OCR are designed to address a gap in traditional recovery services offered to students who are early in recovery and starting at or returning to college. The OCR offers mentoring and on-campus recovery support groups, as well as the coordination of College services and student life activities unique to each student. The mentoring focuses on the management of stressors common to college students in early recovery. In this supportive environment, students learn foundational recovery skills and are encouraged to use coping tools while navigating the challenges of a college education.

OCR activities include weekly peer-led group support group meetings, individual mentoring sessions, weekly on-campus recovery and harm reduction meetings, and educational forums to increase addiction/recovery awareness for faculty and students. 

A vital academic partner within the College is the Behavioral Health and Human Services program. The faculty have professional expertise and lived experience of recovery, and program courses have an emphasis on best practices in the field of addiction treatment/recovery support services.

The OCR intersects with supports offered in other CCP student life programs, including the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, the Center for Male Engagement, the Center on Disability and the Counseling Center.

Recovery Support Group

Discuss and share your experiences about addiction and recovery. Join our weekly support group for a place to share and listen. Coffee and snacks will be provided, and no commitment is required. 

Spring 2025 Semester:

• Tuesdays, 4 to 5 p.m. | Main Campus, Room BG-08, Conference Room

Resilience in Recovery Conference

Resilience in Recovery Conference

Thursday, Feb 20 | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Main Campus, Winnet Student Life Building, Room S2-03

Join Community College of Philadelpiha's Office of Collegiate Recovery for our Resilience in Recovery Conference, a dynamic event highlighting stories and approaches that foster resilience and healing from overcoming the loss of loved ones to overdose, thriving in recovery after homelessness and addiction, and navigating the grief process. Whether you are on your own recovery path, supporting others, or seeking to increase awareness, this conference is for you. Lunch will be provided.

Keynote Speakers:

Diane Davis is an author and consultant specializing in public speaking on enhanced health and wellness. She will be sharing excerpts from her book “Tragic Victory,” a memoir of how one mother was able to find her inner strength while confronted with addiction, depression, and the downward spiral of those closest to her—her children.

Frederick Shegog’s journey included dumpster diving, panhandling, and battling alcohol abuse while experiencing homelessness. Today, Freddy Shegog has emerged as a successful college graduate and an inspiring public speaker dedicated to sharing his transformational journey to recovery. Freddy’s story is a powerful testament to resilience, determination, and the possibility of overcoming adversity.

Substance Use-related Grief Workshop: 

Cadence Giles is a senior bereavement care provider with Philly HEALS. In her role with Philly HEALs, Cadence provides individual grief counseling and support for her clients using relational, existential, and narrative practices.

Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street's office will also have a resource table at the event.

To RSVP, please email recovery@ccp.edu.

Community Resources

The OCR works to meet student needs requiring additional therapeutic supports in collaboration with community-based recovery organizations in and around Philadelphia including:

• CBH (Community Behavioral Health)—residential, in-patient and outpatient treatment referrals
• DBHIDS (Dept of Behavioral Health/Intellectual Disability Services)—certified peer specialist (CPS) and recovery specialist (CRS) training; treatment referrals
• Mental Health Partnerships—CPS and CRS training; recovery support services
• Prevention Point—harm reduction services
• PRO-ACT—recovery support services focused on education, harm reduction
• Savage Sisters—outreach specific to opioid addiction, wound care
• SEPIA (Southeastern Intergroup Association of Alcoholics Anonymous)
• Unity Recovery—recovery support services focused on education, housing, advocacy

How Do I Know If I Have a Drinking or Drug Use Problem?

Below is a set of questions designed to help you find out if substance use may be a problem:

• Do you prefer to drink/use alone rather than with others?
• Does your drinking/drug use cause problems with school (e.g., falling grades) or at work (e.g., being late)?
• Do you drink/use drugs to escape your problems?
• When you drink/use, do you get very emotional?
• Do you ever have memory loss or blackouts due to drinking?
• When you drink, do you often get drunk, even when you did not mean to drink to excess?
• Do you find that you have to drink/use drugs more and more to get the same effect?
• Do you get into trouble with the law or injure yourself when you drink/use drugs?

If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, you may have a drinking/drug use problem. If you have a drinking problem, or suspect that you have one, there are many others who have had these same experiences. If you would like to talk to someone on campus to get more information/support, please email: recovery@ccp.edu or visit the Office of Collegiate Recovery in the Winnet Student Life Building, Room S1-11A.

For additional treatment options/recovery resources, visit FindTreatment.gov or StartYourRecovery.org.

Contact 

Kerry Arnold (she/they), MSW, LSW
Director, Office of Collegiate Recovery, and Assistant Professor, Behavioral Health/Human Services
Community College of Philadelphia
recovery@ccp.edu