Seeking to further dismiss the stigma surrounding addiction and mental health crises, eight current and former participants of Lewis County Therapeutic Courts shared their experiences entering, surviving and graduating from therapeutic court during the Roots to Rise dinner over the weekend.
“My favorite form of self sabotage used to be doing drugs, and now it's getting up in front of people that I don't know and talking about it,” Caitlin Goodeill said as she introduced members of the panel.
The Foundation for Therapeutic Courts of Lewis County held its first-ever fundraising dinner Sunday evening at the Chehalis Seventh-Day Adventist Church. A lived-experience panel anchored the event, which also featured all of the more traditional trappings of a Lewis County fundraising dinner, including a silent auction and dessert dash.
With one of the opening questions, Goodeill asked current Drug Court participant Honey Rathje if the transition into the mental health court program was difficult.
“No, it was pretty much easy because I wanted it,” Rathje said. “I wanted it before I joined. I knew it was my last chance.”
“I think that’s true for a lot of us,” Goodeill responded. “When we joined the program, I don’t think it was because we were having a good time. We got to a point where we saw an out and we took it.”
Goodeill, who graduated from Lewis County Drug Court in 2020, served as the host and moderator of the panel session, asking questions and setting up her fellow graduates for challenging discussions while offering support in emotional moments.
The panel came in two stints, broken up by the dessert dash, with the first discussing the challenges of entering into a therapeutic court program. The second discussed participating and eventually graduating from the programs before reintegrating into normal life.
Altogether, the eight participants represent the three therapeutic courts available in Lewis County: Drug Court, Family Recovery Court and Mental Health Court.
Josh Thoman and Aaron Garman had very different experiences with their own transitions into the Drug Court program.
“I can’t imagine somebody having a worse start than I did,” Thoman said. “I wasn’t sure I was going to make it in this program.”
“It was hard at first,” Garman shared. “I basically got put in a house full of strangers, and I didn't want to be there with those strangers.”
Thoman recalled being close to being terminated from the program after running away from Drug Court and being out of compliance three times in quick succession at the start of the program. The first was the first day of his time in the program.
He recalled being close to giving up after his third incident. He said he was convinced that he would never escape his addiction when a compliance officer with the program showed him more compassion than he was expecting.
“Albright popped up and basically saved my life, you know,” Thoman said. “Albright's like, ‘yeah, we'll get you some help,’ and he did, and here I am today.”
Garman recalled sleeping on the patio furniture of the Drug Court house the first few nights. Others recounted being both scared and ready for the program and being thankful for the housing. Many were living in vans or tents when they first entered.
Deeper into the program, panelists began talking about another frightening — or exciting — transition, and that was the transition out of a structured therapeutic court and into the real world.
Goodeill recalled she was frightened to graduate from the program when the time came.
“I think the terror is the loss of accountability because that structure and that accountability is something that we didn't necessarily have on our own, even from our family, even from our kids,” Goodeill said.
Many of the graduates shared stories of leaning heavily on the therapeutic court alumni association. Others spoke about professional lives now dedicated to helping others navigate addiction and mental health challenges.
Tabitha Baldwin, who graduated from Drug Court in 2016, recalled that she “wasn’t willing to give up” the program as a part of her life. She and her best friend, who had also been in the program, decided to go to the Drug Court program and attempt to revitalize the alumni group that had become inactive over the years.
“I know for me personally, alumni was my support after I graduated,” Goodeill said. “Alumni was really like my home because it was somewhere that I could be where people would still hold me accountable.”
For Baldwin, staying involved with a 12-step program was also a major part of her support system after graduation and is still something she leans on. She’s also involved in recovery in her professional life as a substance use disorder counselor, and while she doesn’t live close enough to go to weekly alumni meetings anymore, she still makes the 45-minute trip for major events.
For Baldwin, what was once a weakness and a challenge that threatened her life is now the source of a passion and mission in life.
“I think what happened with the alumni for me, it was the strong point of keeping me accountable for a long time, but I think it also helped me find my passion and what I want to do with my life,” Baldwin said. “Because bringing in the new participants and the graduates and stuff, and having them become a part of it and showing them the way, kind of gave me this purpose.”
With closing remarks, panelists also commented on the growth of support for therapeutic courts in Lewis County. Steve Dahl recalled a time more than 15 years ago when the foundation and the alumni struggled to fundraise. He thanked attendees for their support of the program.
“Back in 2010, we couldn't fill a room like this with people that support the Drug Court program, let alone give the money that you guys did today in support of this program, because there was such a stigma about it,” Dahl said.
Between donations ranging from a few hundred dollars to $2,500 and other fundraising opportunities, the event raked in more than $15,000 for the foundation, according to unofficial numbers announced at the end of the event.
The money goes to the foundation to be used to support participants of local therapeutic courts. Generally, it is used to help cover costs not already covered by insurance or benefits. It might be work boots or a formal outfit for a new job.
For recent reporting by The Chronicle on Lewis County’s therapeutic courts, visit https://tinyurl.com/3jfeyyrt.
For more information on the Foundation for Therapeutic Courts of Lewis County, visit the Lewis County Drug Court Facebook page.
