ECS CERRC helped create new purpose in Stephanie’s life. *March 2025.
Stephanie, a case manager at ECS’ Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC) program, pours her heart into her job. Each client she interacts with is treated with unbridled compassion and support. Her motivation? Stephanie was once in those clients’ shoes, dealing with the harsh reality of a substance use disorder (SUD).
For many years, Stephanie battled SUD. Her childhood in Minnesota was set in a broken home; her father battled alcoholism, she was molested by a relative as a child, and her parents fought intensely before separating. “It was really unstable,” Stephanie shared. The situation meant that Stephanie and her sisters had to move multiple times, sometimes staying in foster care or at different friends’ houses. It was while living with a friend in ninth grade that Stephanie was introduced to drugs.
Stephanie used drugs to cope with the childhood events she never healed from. “For a long time, I thought that's how everyone's family was,” she said. “I'm about to be 40 and I can still remember this stuff.”
When drugs were no longer enough to cope, Stephanie ran to San Diego. “I was always running, always running. Every time there was a problem, I'd either run away or run to drugs,” Stephanie said. “They say geographical fixes don't work because you're there; no matter what you're trying to escape, there you are.” This wisdom held true for Stephanie. Once she was in San Diego, her drug use only worsened.
At the time, she was also in a very physically abusive relationship in which she was manipulated and had her savings depleted. Stephanie half-joked, “I either need to be a nun or I need to have treatment.”
Stephanie settled on the treatment option. “I didn't think I was going to get clean, but God gave me the gift of desperation,” she said. To ensure she didn’t resort to her old “running” habit, she gave up her car and her residence. “I ended up going to a few programs and I'm not going to lie, I still ran,” Stephanie said. “But this time I didn't run to my house, I ran to another program.” She tried several programs but never felt comfortable. Many lacked the personable support she needed. Others had too much drug use and crime in close proximity. Thankfully, she was eventually referred to CERRC.
Even at her intake, Stephanie noticed a difference. She felt like she was finally in a good place, immediately supported by staff including her counselor, Summer. “I don't have family out here. Everyone's in Minnesota, so when Summer asked me, ‘who is your support?’ and I said ‘her,’ I really meant it,” Stephanie said. That support came through; “I was able to build a support system of women,” she said. “That walk was very important for me. They were once in my spot, they knew what I needed. They really gave me person-centered care.”
Stephanie attended the program faithfully. She got the guidance she needed, learning about topics such as healthy relationships, co-dependence, and toxic behavior, which she was able to apply to her own life and leave her abuser. “Growing up, I didn't have a lot of support from my parents. So, when I got here and I got advice that you would typically hear from your parent, it took me to a whole different level,” Stephanie said. She created meaningful relationships and was encouraged constantly by counselors who pushed her to attend AA and NA meetings, get a sponsor, and go to self-help meetings. Stephanie was struck by the example her counselors set by also attending meetings, truly walking the walk.
Stephanie before beginning her treatment at CERRC. *June 2025.
Stephanie after achieving sobriety and joining the team at CERRC. *June 2025.
CERRC gave Stephanie wholistic treatment. Not only did she achieve sobriety, the stability and guidance ECS provided allowed her to leave her bad relationship, obtain housing, get a job, save up, buy a car, and eventually start a career. “They gave me a foundation of ‘this is what recovery looks like,’” she said.
About 18 months into her sobriety, Stephanie was encouraged to become a drug & alcohol counselor. She embraced the idea and went to work at a couple of other programs but was eventually called back to CERRC and became a case manager. “ECS is so supportive. My colleagues in general are supportive,” she said. “If I tell them something, they actually hear me out. It doesn't fall on deaf ears.”
As someone who recovered from an SUD, Stephanie embraces her clients with empathy, often going above and beyond her job duties. She ensures her clients have all the essentials. In her office, baskets of clothes, boxes of food and toiletries, and stacks of self-help books are free for the taking. “How are you supposed to recover if you don't have the basic things,” she observed. “A lot of people when you're out there using drugs, you lose the trust in people, because some of the people that you think are your best friends have probably hurt you or stolen from you. So here, they get to get something without having to give something in return. I just want to see you succeed.”
Case management has been very rewarding for Stephanie. “I watched a girl get her kids back,” she said. “I get to see these people in public being productive members of society. I feel like God gives me the reward because I get to see the people's lives change.”
Stephanie with ECS CEO Elizabeth Fitzsimons (left) and San Diego County District 4 Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe at the CERRC Open House. January 2025.
ECS and CERRC stand out from other organizations to Stephanie, both as a client and as an employee. “I'm really grateful that I work here because I feel like we get to do God's work. I feel like we get to do something good; we get to give back to the community,” she said. “I'm glad I get to be a part of the healing of San Diego.” Stephanie shared how important the inclusive nature of ECS is to her and how the extra effort the people within the organization put forth inspires her. Stephanie even spearheaded a Toys for Tots initiative to provide Christmas gifts for CERRC clients’ kids. She was also chosen for an ECS Employee Spotlight, an internal initiative that highlights a different outstanding employee each month.
Stephanie ran to recovery, and now she is coaching others along their own paths to sobriety. “I just want to uplift them and say, ‘hey, you're worth it,’” she said. “I just want to speak life into them. I don't want them to think that they're alone in this.”
To learn more about the work of ECS CERRC, visit Central East Regional Recovery Center — Episcopal Community Services.
*Caption dates may not be exact.
