Each month, our team of PAARI AmeriCorps Members share a short write up of the month’s activities. We’re pleased to share Tyshaun Perryman’s write up for June 2018 to give you an inside look of what it’s like to be a PAARI AmeriCorps Member. Tyshaun is serving as a Recovery Coach with Boston Police Department.

Learn more about our AmeriCorps members who are working to make a difference in their communities every day.

June 2018: Busy Month

My work initiative increased this month tremendously.  Five people were placed in treatment, I did a lot of Recovery Coach training and I attended several exciting events.  Out of the five people placed; four have gone on to further treatment after leaving detox, and only one has returned back to the streets. I continue to follow-up with this individual and to encourage him to “never give up!”

Regarding the meetings I attended:  I attended the Hub meeting at Urban Edge in Jamaica Plain. This meeting was great because I became a part of a collaborative team of diverse human service professionals whose soul purpose is to help people who are in acute crisis situations overcome their circumstances.  I attended the US Conference of Mayors that addressed the opioids crisis. At the conference I was sworn in by Mayor Walsh as an AmeriCorps civil servant. This was an honor. Lastly I attended the third annual PAARI Awards Ceremony in Gloucester. It was a fantastic event, full of honorable public servants who deserved to be recognized for their tremendous contribution to society and PAARI.

I attended the Faster Paths training at Boston Medical Center. At the training I was blessed with the fortunate opportunity to to meet Dr. Edward Weinstein. He is a pioneer in substance use disorder treatment services, the founder of Project Assert, and creator of the Brief Negotiated Interview, which is a form of motivational interviewing.

I also attended the Recovery Coach Training II course at North Shore Community College. My trainer was a fabulous guy by the name of Steve Chisolm. Over the four day training I was able to network with peers, increase my education on Recovery Coaching, and finish all the core training courses necessary to obtain my CARC Recovery Coach Certification.

Over all this month has been my most productive and busiest month since working with PAARI as a result of the knowledge and experience gained this month I am a better Recovery Coach than I was before.