September is recognized nationally as a time to celebrate recovery while increasing awareness of those who endure mental and substance abuse disorders.

Sandy Durbala with Prelude Behavioral Services shares services are available locally include, “We have an office here in Washington County and we cover Washington County not only for substance abuse but for problem gambling. We do have an outpatient and prevention office here in the city. We also provide information on our website which has a toolkit if people want to do self assessments. If they’re having a family member who is struggling with addiction, we also do a lot of family services.”

She adds it’s a time to celebrate and they’ll be holding an event for people to share their story and others to support people in recovery, “One of the things we are doing this month to celebrate is we’re having an Art of Recovery (event). And we have an art therapy program through our treatment services. It’s very important for people to have a voice and express what they’re going through, express where they’ve been and where they see themselves in the future. So we’re featuring their art in the art therapy collection at the walk.” There will be an art exhibit and live music, Durbala calls it a reflective day. The event is free and you can register on their website.