Building a Career Gainers has worked in the field of substance abuse for 26 years. She first began working at Mountain Manor Treatment Center, filling every role from case manager to program director. Gainers says there, she primarily worked with adolescents, though she also worked with parents, leading groups, and attempting to help the entire family system. As Mountain Manor was an inpatient facility, Gainers says she spent a significant amount of time caring for clients directly. Adolescents lived in the facility for 2-3 months. “We really got to see their addiction full- blown,” Gainers says. Even though Gainers had a significant amount of contact with the adolescents, in other ways her role was limited. “You never could see the full-circle of recovery,” Gainers says. “You saw treatment, and saw them going back to their parents, but never after that.” After Mountain Manor, Gainers, worked at an agency formerly called Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems. Gainers was responsible for strategic planning, and managing a budget of $2 million. Incidentally, while in this position, Gainers worked a bit with the Family Recovery Program (FRP). At this time, the FRP was housed under the Family League of Baltimore. Even though the Family Recovery Program began in 2005, it wasn’t until 2012 when the president of the Family League of Baltimore proposed converting the FRP into its own, separate non-profit agency. “The President asked me if I would be up to the challenge of leading the new organization, and I said I would be,” Gainers says. Late in 2012, the FRP ceased its existence under the Family League of Baltimore, and opened its doors as an independent agency.
Filling a Void Of the 621,143 residents estimated to live in Baltimore, the Baltimore City Health Department estimates that 60,000 have an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Gainers notes people, in some ways, have lost their sense of community — and with it, often go their natural support services. Grandparents often used to step in and take care of children, when a parent became caught up in addiction. “As individuals in society became more independent, it made everyone more isolated,” Gainers says. “As a result of being more isolated, we created voids in our life.”To fill the void, some create coping mechanisms. “Individuals look for things that are easy to get, cheap and have some social acceptability.” Gainers says. To fill the void, Gainers notes that the Family Recovery Program, Inc. focuses on self-reliance, rather than self-sufficiency.The agency recently changed its mission to, “At FRP, we S.E.E. (Strengthen, Engage and Equip) clients.” “One of the things that makes us so family oriented and successful is that we really see our clients, and understand who they are,” Gainers says.
“Just about every type of human condition is represented in this field.” -Dr. Jocelyn Gainers Executive Director Family Recovery Program
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