Face It TOGETHER offers people who’s ever suffered with addiction peer-to-peer recovery coaching. Amber Whelan, the lead recovery coach, says there’s shame and stigma that’s associated with addiction, and she sees it as a family disease that can affect the person who’s struggling and their family members.

Face It TOGETHER offers programs and services that are free to anyone who’s looking to get help. Recovery coaches help addicts through their own recovery journey.

“We do one-on-one peer coaching, so everyone that works here is in recovery themselves,” Whelan said. “When a client comes in we get to know a little about them, kind of what their situation is, and then we will match them with a coach that has been in a similar situation as them.“

Face It TOGETHER houses several types of support groups. They also have meetings every night of the week. There are 10 recovery coaches, and every coach has gone through addiction and is on the road to recovery.

“Then they have somebody that is walking with them through this,” Leigh Torgerson, a Face It TOGETHER Recovery Coach, said. “I don’t tell anybody what to do, I just tell them what’s worked for me and they can take that and try it or not.”

“I know it takes a lot of courage for anybody and everybody to come into that front door and ask for help and doesn’t know exactly what’s going on in here,“ Verna Mae Olson, a Face It TOGETHER volunteer Recovery Coach, said. “And the first thing I ask what do you think you need, what do you think you want.”

Face It TOGETHER is an affiliate outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. For more information, you can check out their website here.

By — Malaak Khattab

News Reporter