Somerville Non-Profit Takes On The Opioid Crisis

SOMERVILLE, MA – As opioids become an ever-growing health crisis across the country, one Somerville non-profit is expanding its programming to help those in recovery maintain their sobriety through their relationships with family. Parenting Journey, founded in Somerville 35 years ago as a means of enhancing familial bonds to create safer communities, now offers a 14-week Sober Parenting Journey program.

Imari Paris Jefferies, executive director of Parenting Journey, said personal connections and relationship building, which he described as the non-profit's "secret sauce," are believed to be instrumental in supporting a person's recovery. He credited the family focus with being a jumping off point for healthy relationships with friends, co-workers and neighbors, which the non-profit applies to its work with people in recovery.

"Having your family ready to bring you back is our brand of support and recovery," Jefferies said.

Sober Parenting Journey, two weeks longer than the standard Parenting Journey program, marries traditional group work with access to meals, child care and weekly two-hour group sessions. The aim is to build a person's resiliency through self-care, positive interactions and "building social capital with other parents and families," Clinical Director Ellie Zambrano said.

But the foray into recovery-based programming has needed some fine-tuning, as many of Parenting Journey's employees do not have a background in treating substance abuse, according to Jefferies. The group sought the help of a Boston Medical Center researcher to develop their program, which requires participants to be a sober for at least a month before enrolling. Even still, some have had relapses during the 14 weeks.

Members of Parenting Journey believe they fill an important gap in recovery work by focusing on an individual's status as a parent. According to Jefferies, many of the hospital systems that work with the non-profit have described Parenting Journey as a "missing key."

"I think it's really important because parents tend to isolate themselves when they're dealing with high levels of stress," Zambrano said. "There's a sort of stigma that it's not safe to talk to other people about what they're experiencing."

Parenting Journey is located at 366 Somerville Ave.

Photo 1 (L-R): Erica Brunner, managing director of strategy, Imari Paris Jefferies, executive director

Photos by Alex Newman (Patch Staff)