Ep21 Addiction Treatment Recovery for Women

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[00:00:00] Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

Chris Langley: Hi, welcome to the Addiction Recovery Place Podcast, the podcast championing treatment professionals around the world. I'm your host, Chris Langley, and I'm very pleased to introduce today's guests, Wendy Compton and Julie Wockenfus from Beacon House in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Wendy has a Master's Degree in Business Administration, has worked with nonprofits since 2006. She's been with the Beacon House, since 2010.

Wendy's also in recovery. Julie Wockenfus has a Substance Misuse, Abuse Counselor designation, allowing her to provide counseling services in drug and alcohol treatment facilities. She's worked in dual diagnosis, women's treatment facilities, outpatient, and adolescent treatment. She is also in long-term recovery. Welcome to the Addiction Recovery Place Podcast, Wendy and Julie. It's great to have you both with us today.

Julie Wockenfus: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

Chris Langley: No, I really appreciate your time. And I know that you're both incredibly busy with the awesome service you're [00:01:00] providing. So, I'm just going to jump straight in with the first question for you both. Can you tell us about both of your journeys and how you started working at Beacon

House?

Wendy Compton: Yes. in 2006, I was in a major car accident, which I broke my neck, and I was drinking and driving. And so they recommended that I go through a treatment program. So, I chose Beacon House. I went through the program and was successful in developing a recovery program.

And then in 2010, I came on as a resident assistant, and then it morphed into grant writing position that I'm in now.

Okay.

So I joined, as an alcohol and drug counselor in And

Then I left for a [00:02:00] couple years and ended up coming back here because I love women's recovery. I went to a male / female facility and it just didn't work out,

so I came back to Beacon. I've been back to Beacon almost two years now, and I, like you said, myself, I'm in long term recovery, and I'm very passionate about helping Beacon House residents.

Chris Langley: Thank you very much for that. so both of you have come from a journey of recovery yourself, and you've been very involved within the recovery, sector for many years, so that's great to hear. Can you tell us about the, some of the programs that you have at Beacon House? 'cause you have a very, I've been looking, you have a very extensive program for the women that you have at your service.

Can you tell us about some of the programs that you have there, please?

Wendy Compton: Sure. We have, domestic violence, parenting classes. [00:03:00] We work with art therapy. we have groups, and individual one on one sessions with our counselors. And we also have,

We do a

music group with them. Yes. Finding appropriate music to match where they're at now, instead of the stuff they used to listen to with reference to alcohol and drugs.

We take them, to an all day spiritual retreat. once every three months. So they each get, and that's really powerful. We go to a, outdoor retreat center and we hire a, spirituality specialist to come in and do this retreat with the women.

Chris Langley: Oh, wow.

Julie Wockenfus: We also have trauma informed care. We send them to trauma counselors, domestic violence.

We have meditation, and [00:04:00] we also have an exercise group that we do with them on a weekly basis.

Chris Langley: Goodness me. So you have a whole holistic approach to

Julie Wockenfus: Absolutely.

Chris Langley: That's lovely to hear. And I was very impressed with when I saw on your website, the scope of the things that you offer your clients is fantastic. Can you tell us about some of the team members, the other team members that you have a Beacon?

Wendy Compton: Yes, we have, six Resident Assistants. We have two, AODA Counselors, we have an Executive Director, an Administrative Coordinator and, a House Manager.

Chris Langley: Goodness me. Sounds like you've had a very full and very experienced staff members there.

Julie Wockenfus: I would say they're long term.

Chris Langley: So how long term? How long? What's the longest member of staff has been with you?

Julie Wockenfus: Ellen was here. We have former clients [00:05:00] that have 20 plus years here working here. Actually we have two of those with the longterm. I think one's got 18 years and one's got 20 years and they've been with us for longterm.

Chris Langley: Goodness me. It shows what a great place it is to work and the great work that

you're

all doing. that's a testament to your service. It really is to have people that have engaged for as long as that. That's incredible.

Julie Wockenfus: We're very blessed to have this recovery community because that's what we do.

Chris Langley: Absolutely. Absolutely. How do you receive referrals and what's the process for women wanting to enter your program? How long does this take and what's the requirements?

Wendy Compton: We, generally take people that are on Medicaid. And, they are often referred to us through the county or tribal nation or cold calling. [00:06:00] We are listed on several websites as a resource.

Julie Wockenfus: We have lots of counties who are so pleased with our services and probation officers that just refer, because of the good services that we do provide.

And our success rate is pretty high. It's a lot of the word of mouth too, out in the recovery community.

Chris Langley: Yeah. what are the other agencies do you work collaboratively with within your community? You mentioned probation.

Julie Wockenfus: Oh, yeah. We're, the, all the different counties with the department of health and human services, the corrections. we also work with, some of the, Suboxone / Methadone clinics. Where the clients receive that treatment daily, but then they come back here for the rest of their treatment. [00:07:00] We have several agencies, or counties, I should say, that are working with the drug court population, and that's very popular nowadays.

That's a fascinating process in itself, how they have found a way to help these repeat offenders and have success with them.

Chris Langley: Yeah, drug courts are a very powerful tool for people to

Julie Wockenfus: Yeah.

Chris Langley: in engage in treatment. I myself was involved in one of England's very first drug courts. So I've seen how this process works. And it's a very, it's, it's very impressive when you get judges that are very empathetic towards someone's plight with their addiction and for them to be involved with a

Julie Wockenfus: Yeah.

Chris Langley: court. It's such a

It's

it's such a big winner. Yeah.

Julie Wockenfus: to say, It's actually fun to go with some of the girls. And, he rewards them with a little piece of candy, but that means the world to them on a daily basis.

Chris Langley: hmm.

Julie Wockenfus: appear in [00:08:00] court every day,

Chris Langley: Yeah.

Julie Wockenfus: they're responsible to do daily UAs.

And it's, just a really neat process instead of having the, judge be the punitive person that the judge is giving, singing them praises. And, so that's a neat process,

Chris Langley: is. It's almost like a role reversal for them because normally judges are very strict and they don't get to know the people that they're, sentencing for them to get to

Julie Wockenfus: right.

Chris Langley: Have a relationship, a working relationship with the people in their courts.

very

Julie Wockenfus: is. It is.

Chris Langley: is. So you attend the courts yourself.

Julie Wockenfus: Yep. On occasion, we go with them.

Chris Langley: Yep.

Julie Wockenfus: Yep. Sometimes the PO requests it,

Chris Langley: Yep.

Julie Wockenfus: Case manager requests it, sometimes the judge requests it. But being a person in long term recovery, I really enjoy going, and being a support for not only the client that I'm there with, but for all the other people, that are making changes.

And that's what it's all about, is [00:09:00] making the changes.

Chris Langley: Definitely. So how long has the drug court been working in your county? How long has it been going for?

Julie Wockenfus: Gosh. a good eight years

Chris Langley: Wow.

Julie Wockenfus: our county right here. I know the, neighboring county, Winnebago County, they've had theirs for over 15 years.

Chris Langley: Yeah.

Julie Wockenfus: That was like a, what do I want to say? It's like the guinea pig, they didn't really know what they were doing, but they thought they wanted to give it a chance.

Chris Langley: Yeah.

Julie Wockenfus: It's turned out very well for all the, communities surrounding us.

Chris Langley: Yeah, can make a big difference. Can't it? Definitely. No, I love that model. I really do. I think I've seen it work myself, so I understand how powerful it can be. I'm going to move on to your clients very briefly here, but, what do you see as some of the biggest challenges that women face who have [00:10:00] addictions?

There's such a wide variety of issues that come up with, especially

within

Julie Wockenfus: One of our biggest ones here in the Fond du Lac County is we do not have sober living. So when they get done with our 90 day treatment program, we don't have anything in this county to send them to. And we've gone to the County, we've gone to the board, beg, borrow, steal, I said, there's gotta be someone that's got an abandoned house

that will let us purchase it reasonable so we can house these women after we get done with treatment. So as a therapist, that's a huge part of my job is spent trying to find these girls somewhere to go.

Chris Langley: Yeah,

because, one of the other questions I was going to ask you, because when someone completes the program, what follow up care and support is there? Because I know it was the 90 day limit, but what, you just explain in the troubles that your clients have after they've left treatment.

How [00:11:00] do you overcome that? as an agency yourself?

Julie Wockenfus: So one of the programs, and this goes way back to Wendy's era, we call it transitions.

Chris Langley: Yeah,

Julie Wockenfus: And every Wednesday night they can get either on zoom or they can come here in person And there's a, it's a counselor led group. That's part of their aftercare actually.

Chris Langley: wonderful.

Julie Wockenfus: and then we based it off of, they can come for dinner.

We are also a food pantry. So if any of the girls are struggling, they come and get food from us.

But, it's really good for our current clients to see these girls coming back and say, "Hey, yeah, it was a struggle and but I'm still clean." We have a girl every week. She's been coming on. She goes, "yeah, I got sanctioned again."

But she's back. She hasn't picked up. She hasn't used,

she continues to come back. So that really is a powerful tool for our current girls [00:12:00] to hear that.

Chris Langley: Most definitely. It's always nice to hear other people that have gone through the same journey to say, "I can do that as well." And there is

Julie Wockenfus: hope.

Yep. and like I said, when they're going through these struggles with CPS or whatever they're trying to do in their lives and they don't pick up, they just keep working a program. And I always say, I'm a member of that. "No matter what, I'm not going to pick up no matter what." Yeah. To get those girls to buy into that concept, and look at us in that transition groups as hope dealers.

We're trying to give them hope that this is doable. And that's where the expertise like with Wendy comes in, cause she's been there. She's done that. She's been in the house and, lived in our sober living and that's back in the day when we had it. When did that end?

Wendy Compton: Oh, that ended in 2012. Okay.

Yeah,

Wendy Compton: That pulled because of funding? Just a [00:13:00] funding issue? Would you say within your county? That's I wonder what the ramifications of that was when that ended. That's that's pretty huge, isn't it?

Julie Wockenfus: that's huge.

Chris Langley: yeah.

Julie Wockenfus: I've gone to the judges, the drug courts and said, you guys want us to treat them, but then you want us to just street them. That's not a good combination. When you're first getting out, so let's go together. Let's buy a residence together, but funding's the issue.

Chris Langley: Yeah, sadly so. But the work you're

Julie Wockenfus: Yeah.

Chris Langley: is absolutely incredible. I'm loving hearing what you do at the Beacon. You have a very extensive childcare policy. Can you tell us a little bit more about this and how it works when you have childcare issues?

Julie Wockenfus: Okay. Wendy can speak on that better than me. I think.

Wendy Compton: Actually, what we do is we, first and foremost, find, adequate housing for those children. Whether it be [00:14:00] with another parent or relative friends, to have them get 24 7 care. We have had children here at the Beacon House. They go to daycare during the day.

And while mom is in group and, working on her program and then, they come back and, are integrated with the rest of the clients.

Julie Wockenfus: What mostly what I've seen in my seven years here is the women come in pregnant and then we have a separate room and they have their baby. And then they live here with the baby until we can get them to a safe, sober environment and.

We are very fortunate to have a program called New Beginnings here in Fond du Lac that will take the mom and the infant right from Beacon, and [00:15:00] they can live there for, I think, up to a year. And that's just funded by New Beginnings. There's no fee. So

Wendy Compton: right

Chris Langley: Wow.

Julie Wockenfus: It's all volunteers.

all volunteers,

Chris Langley: Goodness

me .

I applaud that in a very big way. I really do.

Yeah

it seems like you've got everything, you're working as best as you can within your means and what you're offering is it's very inspiring. It really is.

And I'm, this is the first time that I've had, a women only, addiction service on my podcast. And it's just wonderful to hear this. It really is. and, Last couple of questions to you. I ask all of my guests this because I have some very interesting and varied answers when I've asked this, but can you tell me what your opinion of harm reduction is and how it plays a pivot, such a pivotal role within [00:16:00] recovery?

Julie Wockenfus: Sure. So harm reduction

has been thrown around for a long time now. I work with a woman on the outside her daughter I actually had her daughter as a client when she was an adolescent, ended up dying from a fentanyl overdose and she has taken this It's called

Megan Kelly Foundation, and Kelly is the mom, and she goes all over the states and the country.

She's currently down in DC lobbying, and she's a huge harm reduction. Like her daughter was in jail and they wanted to release her because there was so much crowding, and they were trying to find her a place to get into treatment. So they decided to put her out on the bracelet monitor and she was dead of an overdose two days later.

So her mom tirelessly leads this for harm reduction. We've all [00:17:00] come to accept that even us long term addicts, you don't, the battles about, Suboxone is a drug, methadone is a drug. I truly believe if it's used appropriately, like we say it is, it's a two year program, not like it's like the five, 10, 15, 20 years that people are currently on those drugs

that works for that harm reduction. It's about getting that person well enough to be able to live life on life's terms without the drugs.

I'm all in favor for that.

Chris Langley: Definitely. I completely agree with you there. 100%. You've just said that very sad, story of, the woman that had the daughter die, very sadly. Is fentanyl a massive problem in Wisconsin? Because it seems to be such a problem all over the country. Are you finding it in your state as well?

Oh, [00:18:00] absolutely. When a bad batch comes into the area, it's nothing for six to eight people to die in that County alone. So they put it on, the scanner pages, The Police Department does, and they're honest about it. They're saying there's a bad batch of fentanyl going around. Often th,ose cases we just had one, didn't matter how many times they gave him Narcan, he was gone. So

Yeah,

Julie Wockenfus: Pretty powerful stuff floating around out there.

Chris Langley: really is. It's very, scary. I always ask this question because it seems so prevalent within the whole of the United States. And now sadly, it's moved over to Europe now from what I hear. Last couple of questions, have you got a message to anyone who's listened to this podcast, who's going through addiction themselves or has a mental health crisis?

Have you got what message have you both got [00:19:00] for anyone going through this?

Julie Wockenfus: Seek help. Know that it's a disease. You are not a bad person. You have a bad disease. And there's plenty of us therapists and treatment centers that are passionate about what we do and you got to come in, you got to be open minded, willing and honest, and I think that honesty is a big key thing because, who wants to admit, "I got my kids taken away. I lost my job. I lost my marriage. I embarrassed myself." But it's that approach with that on and I'm a straight shooter as a counselor. I don't want to see somebody else leave here and end up, dying from addiction.

And I think that's a really powerful tool. If we can get the person here, we have very good success rate, very good. and [00:20:00] holding them accountable. And I say, you're all worth it.

Chris Langley: Absolutely.

Julie Wockenfus: matter what you did, who you did, how much you used, when you used, give us a chance,

Chris Langley: Yeah.

Julie Wockenfus: Let us help you. And I always joke about, give us those 90 days.

If you don't like where you're at after the 90 days, I will refund your misery. I will remind you what you looked like when you came in. So

Chris Langley: Wow. Thank you very much for that. That's a perfect way of ending my questions. But how can people contact you and find your service online? So I'd love to just mention this.

Wendy Compton: We're located at Beaconfdl.org and that lists all of our services there and our phone number. Our number is 9 2 0 -9 2 3 -3 9 9 9. We love to answer questions and help as many people as we [00:21:00] can.

Julie Wockenfus: We've got, we've gotten people from out of state often, especially when there's self pay, because they don't have to worry about the assurance crossing over state lines and county funding and that kind of stuff.

Chris Langley: So you have people coming from out of state as well.

Julie Wockenfus: Oh yeah. Yep.

Chris Langley: That is great to hear. Is there anything else that I've might not have mentioned, or is there anything you'd like to tell us before we end this podcast? Have you got any plans for the future at all?

Julie Wockenfus: Oh, we do. we are in the middle of our kitchen remodel. The house is how old, what is our house? 1900. Yeah. Big old, beautiful Victorian. And then how many years ago did we do the remodel? 2018. Something like that. So we doubled the size and this half is all brand [00:22:00] new. Our offices, our group room, our mental health room, and and we've got basement repairs

lined up, we're gonna do some, it's the old fieldstone brick or stones in the basement. We gotta make sure everything's shored up and, with the cost of living. And, we haven't raised our prices in a long time, but yet everything is so costly to repair and do. And then our biggest thing on top of our list is that sober living.

And we are actively looking, we got a bunch of feelers out there to some of the philanthropists in the area and just trying to get out, I don't know, a campaign going, so to speak, that this is very much needed.

Chris Langley: Absolutely.

Julie Wockenfus: we are not-for-profit. We are a not-for-profit facility. So

Chris Langley: Wonderful.

Thank you, Wendy and Julie [00:23:00] for joining me today. I really am very impressed with what you're all doing.

Julie Wockenfus: thank you.

Chris Langley: and please send my very best wishes to your team because you sound like you're doing some amazing work in your state and, it's just incredible. And I've really enjoyed talking to you today.

Thank you so much. Both of you

Julie Wockenfus: Okay. Thank you.

Chris Langley: appreciate it. Thanks very much.

Do, do, do, do, do.