Yonkers Native Works to Fight the Disease of Addiction

“Although, I cannot save those I have lost, my motivation is to help others currently struggling with the incurable disease of addiction,” says Loren Messina, a Yonkers native and a current Marriage and Family Therapy master's degree student at nonprofit, private university The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Los Angeles Campus. Messina is currently completing her practicum (field experience students must get to gain practical experience in their chosen field of study) at Renaissance South LA (RSLA), an organization “created to help those most in need overcome the hardships of substance abuse and addiction by developing their own individual road map to success.”

Messina works within RSLA’s Substance Abuse Counseling Services program teaching individuals suffering from addiction the life skills needed to elicit change in their behaviors towards a healthy and sober lifestyle.

“I have lost many friends {to} substance abuse,” says Messina, who worked in the fashion industry prior to embarking on her academic career at The Chicago School, “thus, guiding my decision to change my career path from the fashion industry, in an effort to be proactive and start helping people who are struggling with addiction.”

Messina says every day is a challenge working at RSLA but feels proud when she starts to notice positive changes in her client’s behavior and sees they are applying the skills she has taught them. In addition, Messina was given a supervisory role in which she helps train new interns and trainees and works directly with management to enforce changes needed.

“RSLA has taught me how to apply my passion for helping in my work and I’ve learned so much about myself, my will to help and how impactful recovery can be.”