Recovery Coaching

Family Recovery Coaching

We provide families that are faced with a loved one struggling with Substance Use Disorder a 16 Week Family to Family structured program to help those who have a loved one struggling with substance use disorder.

Our goal is to help by using a strength based, supportive approach the program is designed to teach families how to sustain a healthy approach to their own recovery.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO HIRE A FAMILY RECOVERY COACH

Email:  help@pathtorecoveryfoundation.org

Call:  630-962-9652

Individual Recovery Coaching

We offer a 16 Week Peer to Peer structured program to help those who struggle with substance use disorder.

Our goal is to help those seeking recovery or new to recovery by using a strength based, supportive approach the program is designed to teach participants how to sustain long term recovery.

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO HIRE A RECOVERY COACH

Email:  help@pathtorecoveryfoundation.org

Call:  630-962-9652

Deb Lewin, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS)

Deb Lewin (Executive Director)  co-founded PATH in 2014 after her journey with her own Family,. She is a certified Family Support Specialist as well certified in First Aid Mental Health and SMART Recovery. Deb is a trained Recovery Coach and a member of the HOPE Taskforce in DuPage County. Her passion for helping people struggling with Substance use and for their families has been instrumental in the development of The Path Recovery Community Center in Naperville, IL.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc): Family Member

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: BELIEVE

Best Thing About Recovery: The best thing about Family Recovery is all of us being whole again.

Lauren McLaughlin, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS)

Lauren McLaughlin celebrated 16 years of continuous recovery in April of 2022. She is the Director of Programming and Recovery Services at PATH to Recovery Foundation. She is a Certified Recovery Coach Trainer through Center for Addiction Recovery Training (CCAR). Through her recovery she found a life beyond her wildest dreams. She approaches her recovery using goals and stepping outside of her comfort zone. Lauren believes in a multiple pathway approach to recovery. It doesn’t matter how you get there just that you are moving towards a better life. Lauren is also a Licensed Acupuncturist in Naperville running her own clinic, Joyful Balance Wellness. In her spare time you will find her hanging out with her dog, Dixie Lou.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc): Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery:  Don’t be ashamed of your story, it will inspire others.

Best Thing About Recovery:  There are too many things to list. My life is 1000 times better than I could have ever imagined. If you would have told me at the beginning of this journey that I would actually be JOYFUL in recovery I would have snort laughed in your face.

Brittany Brdecka, Trained Recovery Coach

Brittany is in long term recovery, and has worked in the field of addiction since 2009. Getting sober has its challenges, however, little-by-little everything can change for the better. It is possible to have a better life with the right support and a community of people behind you – one thing at a time!

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):   Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery:  Change in inevitable.

Best Thing About Recovery: The best thing about recovery is freedom.

Allan Broderick, Trained Recovery Coach

I didn’t get this my first time , with repeated attempts and an open mind to take suggestions and turn those suggestions into action, I started on my road to recovery . With daily maintenance and surrender I’m able to stay in sobriety . Thanks to all who helped!

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):   Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery:  The only thing I need to know about my higher power is that it isn’t me!!

Best Thing About Recovery: 
Freedom from active addiction . And a choice to make better decision based on that freedom . I have a life today that’s worth living . Wouldn’t trade it for anything

Cathy Cowan, Trained Recovery Coach

I took my first drink in 7th grade, my father had passed away a year ago, and I had zero guidance on life. Oddly, this wasn’t the beginning of my alcoholism. It came 15 years later, when my mom passed away. After quitting cold turkey, my friends told me they thought I was going to die during that period. I stayed sober until my wedding, when I took a sip out of a champagne glass that was supposed to be non-alcoholic grape juice, you know, the stuff kids drink on NYE and feel fancy? It wasn’t. I’ve since been sober, my last day I had a drink was Oct. 4th, 2014. I have a wonderful wife named Steph, who came along with 3 kids. I am a business consultant, and currently am running a strangely successful Pokemon card stream, at the age of 40. I was adopted from Korea at 3 months old. My entire childhood was dealing with loss and death. I am still learning to be a step-parent. Maybe even an adult. I go to therapy twice a week, and have PTSD and panic disorder. I do choose to take prescribed medication for it. I’m a night owl, so if you’re looking for someone that will not ask to have a weekly session at 8am, but possibly 8pm? I’m your coach. I believe in you, what your goals are and especially what your dreams are. I believe in boundaries, but I also believe in running toward a burning fire to save someone. I would love to work with you, no strings attached except the want, even if it was just for one fleeting second, to walk with someone towards recovery. Because if you even thought it was possible for a second, it’s possible.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):   Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery:  “When I was boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'”-Mr. Rogers.

This isn’t because the role of a coach is to help. Very much the opposite. It’s about you, helping yourself by taking the first step.

Best Thing About Recovery: It’s completely up to you. And it’s 100% fluid…it may work, it may not, but as long as you want it, we’ll find a find way. An addict doesn’t lose. They work harder than anyone. It just depends what you’re focused on. And I can help find the right things to focus on that fit for you.

Lisa DeLaura, Trained Recovery Coach

Lisa has over 30 years of continuous sobriety. Having experienced addiction from many different roles, she is able to better understand how addiction affects the families as well as the individuals. She has a passion for helping others achieve and maintain sobriety. Lisa has earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work and is a certified addictions counselor. Lisa has helped develop programs for parenting, employment, reentry for those formerly incarcerated, and sober living, She feels this is more of a calling than a career. Lisa has a heart for helping individuals connect to the recovery community and reengage in life. Lisa spends her free time with her family, friends and volunteering. She is an avid photographer and enjoys nature.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):   Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery:  Nothing changes, if nothing changes

Best Thing About Recovery: The best thing about recovery is being able to help others reach their designation by helping them walk through it.

Michelle Flynn, Trained Recovery Coach

My name is Michelle and I am in long term recovery. What that means to me is I have not had a drink since Oct 18, 2019. I honestly did not think I had a problem, not even after 20-25 years of having my life revolve around “when I will drink next”. Instead, I took serious inventory of my life around my 50th birthday and when I was honest with myself about how little I had accomplished compared to others, I began to wonder if it were my drinking. So, I decided to stop “and just see” – and 3 years later, I can tell you that I truly did have a big problem. And alcohol robbed me of living up to my full capabilities – it robbed me of a lot of time that I cannot get back. But, now I have my future and the ability to help others that are similar to how I was (walking around with wine in my coffee cup) and my future is very promising with the poison that deflated my capabilities.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):   Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: You hold the pen to your own story – Write well and Edit often

Best Thing About Recovery: 
SOOOO many things!! But mainly I have a grip on my anxiety. I realize I can do the things I could not accomplish while drinking: I now have friends, a successful full-time career, and a beautiful life I could not see prior to the alcohol haze lifting. I have learned to take a deep breath and take on life’s up and downs. Life will never be easy – as that is what life is about- but putting down the alcohol has led me to be able to ride the ups & downs like a human being again.

Donald Hamilton, Trained Recovery Coach

I am a person in long time recovery. I have visited the dark side, gathered information and came back to exhibit how grateful that I am to be one of the chosen ones to provide hope.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):   Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: What you put into your recovery is what you will be able to handle. Recovery prepares you for the situation that you have not experienced yet.

Best Thing About Recovery: 
Freedom to remarket yourself.

Rena Humbert, Trained Recovery Coach

Rena Humbert has been an active member of PATH To Recovery since 2014. Her passion to help others stemmed from her own experience through her son’s journey with drugs and the positive relationship they built while he sought out recovery. Tragically after almost 2 years of being substance free, her son relapsed and died after finding out he had contracted HIV from a dirty needle he had used prior to getting clean. Since then, she has been involved with community and national events to end drug related stigmas. She has also engaged in training about recovery in multiple different formats, including becoming a Recovery Coach through CCAR. Rena’s work with people in need and/or their families, focuses on cooperative strategies to help people avoid relapses when unforeseen life challenges occur.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):  Family Member

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: We can only keep what we have by giving it away.

Best Thing About Recovery: The journey of the possibilities that are now opened up because drugs or alcohol are no longer standing in the way. Knowing that if we can achieve something so difficult as recovery, there’s very little we can’t do now and can begin to accomplish things we’ve never thought possible before.

Roberta Kalish, Trained Recovery Coach

Roberta Kalish, Recovery Coach, is a part of the Leadership Team at Path to Recovery Foundation. She raised four sons along with her husband. Her youngest son died from an accidental overdose due to Fentanyl. Determined to make something good come from this tragedy she joined Path. She runs the Path Grief Support group. She is dedicated to continuing research on grief, as there are many types of grief we will all deal with in our lives. She hopes to be working with families to discover how to care for themselves while navigating the journey of a loved one with Substance Use Disorder.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc): Family Member

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery:  Recovery begins at exactly that moment when you are completely broken to pieces and must surrender to unfamiliar and uncomfortable ways in order to be rebuilt into who you were meant to be.

Best Thing About Recovery: Knowing the recoveree is on his/her way to living the life they deserve.

Leslie Kawar, Trained Recovery Coach

Leslie’s involvement with the recovery community began six years ago when she discovered that her middle child became addicted to prescription medication. Her personal journey has confirmed the adage that “addiction is a family disease”; and she is passionate about supporting and educating the loved ones of those suffering from substance use disorder. In addition to serving as Vice President of the Path to Recovery Foundation Board, Leslie is also a member of the Public Benefits Team with Loaves and Fishes Community Services, A St Vincent DePaul “Vincentian” through her parish, member of 100 Women Who Care Naperville as well as a board member of Quito Barrio Outreach. Prior to her volunteer efforts, for over eighteen years Leslie worked with a number of corporations, both large and small as Director of Customer Relations. Leslie is certified as a SMART Recovery facilitator and as a native Spanish speaker, she is available to assist anyone with a language barrier.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):  Family Member

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: “I alone can do it….but I can’t do it alone”

Best Thing About Recovery:  I came into it with the goal of just learning how to stop using and I got that, but what I also got was an entire design for living and today I have peace of mind, serenity and am happy. My life is a thousand times better than ever thought it could it be as a result.

Rob Kubiak, Trained Recovery Coach

Rob is a recovering alcoholic/addict himself, who struggled with substance abuse for twenty years and was in and out of more than nineteen treatment centers before getting sober in 2017. He is active in the recovery community and passionate about working with others struggling with addiction to help them live happy and productive lives.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):  Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: Pride builds walls between people. Humility builds bridges.  OR Happiness is the by-product of right living.

Best Thing About Recovery:  I came into it with the goal of just learning how to stop using and I got that, but what I also got was an entire design for living and today I have peace of mind, serenity and am happy. My life is a thousand times better than ever thought it could it be as a result.

Bianca Sementa, Trained Recovery Coach

Bianca Sementa has been working as a licensed hairstylist for 15 years. She is a person in long term recovery since 2018 and an active member in her local 12-step group. She is also a person living with mental health dual diagnosis (bpd, adhd, ptsd), the adult child of an alcoholic and a suicide attempt survivor. She is a trained recovery coach at PATH. Bianca enjoys spending time with her 2 young children, reading and listening to music. 

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc):  Person in Recovery

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” Confucius

Best Thing About Recovery:  Finding JOY in the little things.

Melissa Wishecoby, Trained Recovery Coach

 Melissa Wishecoby is a person in long term recovery with over six years drug and alcohol free. In 2015 she started working as a manager for Stairway to Freedom recovery homes and was promoted in 2017 to Director of Women’s Services. Melissa’s personal experience in recovery, as well as growing up in a family struggling with substance use disorders, provides a unique insight to the work she does every day. Melissa works with people entering recovery from all backgrounds and lengths of time; from entering and navigating the treatment space to celebrating years of continuous recovery. Melissa has helped hundreds of people through their recovery journeys, guiding them through every obstacle and triumph along the way. Melissa is thrilled to enter the world of one-on-one recovery coaching, where she hopes to help more people forge their own way towards a life in recovery in a more individualized approach. Melissa lives in the Chicagoland area with her two dogs Jett, and Bennie.

Recovery Status (Family Member, Friend, Ally, Person in Recovery, etc): Person in Recovery 

Favorite Recovery Related Quote or Your Own Quote about Recovery: Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations.

Best Thing About Recovery: Building a life beyond anything I could have imagined for myself.