A new program for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students in recovery or treatment for substance use is quickly gaining traction.
The Mocs Recovery Program, a collaboration between the Counseling Center and the Center for Wellbeing, is a supportive environment of like-minded individuals who wish to maintain a sense of wellbeing while at UTC.
The initiative is led by two new members of the UTC campus community.
On Jan. 3, Cassandra Riddle joined the Center for Wellbeing as collegiate recovery program coordinator/substance misuse educator.
Two weeks later, the Counseling Center added Jami Hargrove as its new substance use disorder treatment specialist.
Keilan Rickard, director of the Counseling Center, worked with Center for Wellbeing Director Megan McKnight to create the recovery program for University students.
“When I first came to UTC in 2020, a College Recovery Program was on my list of things that I wanted to accomplish in my role,” Rickard said.
He created a similar program during his previous career stop at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
“When we think about substances on college campuses, a big piece of what we want to do is on the prevention end of things,” Rickard explained, “and the other component is for folks who have already addressed their substance use problems and are living in recovery. We want to have support for them.
“We know that, during the pandemic, substance use rates increased. We don’t know if that’s because of boredom or because people have more access to substances, but we do know there has been an increase, so we want to tackle the problem.”
Rickard said funding for the Mocs Recovery Program comes from Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act dollars.
He credited Chris Smith, director of the UTC School of Nursing and the University’s chief health affairs officer, and Yancy Freeman, vice chancellor for enrollment management and student affairs, for their advocacy of the new program.
“We’ve been able to make things happen quickly because of the support from Dr. Smith and Dr. Freeman,” Rickard said.
Cassandra Riddle, collegiate recovery program coordinator/substance misuse educator in the Center for Wellbeing
“We know from research at other universities that having a space for students to gather is crucial for these programs to really be impactful, and Dr. Smith and Dr. Freeman have been able to help us find space where Jami and Cassandra can be co-located in the University Center.”
Hargrove, who received a master’s degree in social work from UT Knoxville in 2018, has spent the last four years working with older males in recovery. She said she was drawn to UTC to work with younger adults.
“It’s been really cool working with college students,” Hargrove said. “I’ve been surprised at just how receptive they are, and how I feel they’re in that stage of their life where the world hasn’t gotten to them.”
Based in the Counseling Center, Hargrove will work more clinically with students who are either actively struggling with substance use or looking for more therapeutic support around recovery.
“Even though I’m not in recovery and haven’t had those particular struggles, part of what being a therapist is all about is being able to relate to people’s struggles and being empathetic about their struggles, even if you haven’t been there yourself,” she said.
“I’m providing just a little bit more intensive treatment piece, whereas Cassandra and the Center for Wellbeing are more of the education and community outreach piece. Together, I think we go hand-in-hand.”
Riddle brings a different perspective. She has been an international opera singer, a rock climber, a teacher and a gym owner. She is currently a UTC graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health. She also knows about recovery firsthand from an alcohol misuse problem.
“Years ago, I, too, went into recovery,” she said. “This has been a journey of my own pursuit to understand me, how I fit in the world, and now, how best to serve. That’s where I’m at right now.
“I decided to go back to school and mental health counseling just because I’ve had a thread of trying to understand humanity and how I work, the way I work, trying to understand it.”
Riddle said her journey of self-discovery led to the world of counseling, an essential component of her own wellness.
“Part of what I do is education, and I speak to groups about substance misuse and share my own story and facilitate a conversation,” she said.
“The eagerness to learn and develop and grow in the field of clinical mental health counseling is all related. I have a lot of experience from my own recovery, and that’s pretty powerful.”