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Clinician credit and a voicemail: lived experience and recovery in Clatsop County's deflection work
Summary
A former client left a voicemail thanking a clinician; the clinician described multiple re-engagements that led to sustained sobriety, underscoring the program's emphasis on rapport and repeated offers of help.
The episode included a voicemail from a former client who told clinician Isaiah O'Neil, "You saved my life," and credited the clinician for support after jail.
O'Neil said the client had previously failed to complete the program, was caught again with substances, accepted deflection a second time and subsequently sustained recovery: "I think he's got, like, 500 and some days sober. He's living with his wife and his kids again. He's looking at becoming a recovery coach." O'Neil described drawing on lived experience to build rapport: "I come from a background of what's called lived experience, where I struggled with substance use myself."
The guests emphasized that not everyone accepts help the first time, but repeated offers and immediate contact via a warm handoff can help plant a seed that leads to later engagement and recovery.
