Author: billstaufferpa

William Stauffer has been the Executive Director of Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliance (PRO-A), the statewide recovery organization of Pennsylvania. He is in long-term recovery since age 21 and has been actively engaged in public policy in the recovery arena for most of those years. He is also an adjunct professor of Social Work at Misericordia University in Dallas Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelors in Social work degree from Cedar Crest College and a Masters Degree from Kutztown University. William Stauffer has initiated numerous workforce expansion initiatives for persons in recovery. A major focus of his work has been aimed at moving our entire SUD care system towards a five-year care paradigm to dramatically expand the numbers of Americans in Recovery while saving lives, resources, and communities. Mr. Stauffer has been a staunch advocate for strong SUD Patient Privacy Protections at both the state and federal levels for many years. He ran a recovery house taskforce for the Pennsylvania that helped inform PA Act 59 of 2017. In 2018, he testified in front of the US Senate Special Committee on Aging on the opioid epidemic and older adults, and in 2019, he conducted a hearing with the PA House Human Services Committee to expand recovery opportunities for young people. He is co-chair of the public policy committee for Faces & Voices of Recovery and the 2019 recipient of the Vernon Johnson Award Individual Recovery Advocate of the year. Mr. Stauffer was also the 2002 Recipient of the Lecie G. Machell prize in Social Work and, prior to taking the position of executive director of PRO-A , received Pennsylvania Recovery Organization Alliances award of the Recovery Advocate of the year, in 2008.

GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL SAFETY AND PUBLIC RECOVERY SELF-DISCLOSURE (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

~ billstaufferpa

December 17th, 2020 He who shows himself at every place will someday look for a place to hide. –African Proverb Earlier blogs in this series explored the benefits and limitations of public recovery disclosure, the potential risks to multiple parties involved in such disclosure, and the ethics of recovery disclosure. In this final blog in … Continue reading GUIDELINES FOR PERSONAL SAFETY AND PUBLIC RECOVERY SELF-DISCLOSURE (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

THE ETHICS OF PUBLIC RECOVERY SELF-DISCLOSURE (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

~ billstaufferpa

Ethics involves the application of moral principles to promote good and prevent harm. Ethical decision-making within our service and advocacy activities is an assessment of the ratio of potential benefits to potential harms in any course of action—with a particular emphasis on “first do no harm.” Such decision-making involves asking ourselves three questions. First, what … Continue reading THE ETHICS OF PUBLIC RECOVERY SELF-DISCLOSURE (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

PILLARS OF STIGMA AND RECOVERY STORYTELLING (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

~ billstaufferpa

December 3, 2020 A central goal of public recovery self-disclosure is to challenge myths and misconceptions about addiction and recovery through the elements of our personal stories. Recovery advocates must avoid contributing to false narratives by having selective parts of our stories appropriated while ignoring the central recovery message. Addiction/treatment/recovery-related social stigma and its untoward … Continue reading PILLARS OF STIGMA AND RECOVERY STORYTELLING (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

I see you Millennial and Zoomer Recovery Advocates!

~ billstaufferpa

I have been thinking lately of the generational shifts in the recovery movement and what it means for our collective future. Young people in recovery face an uncertain future. Less opportunity, less optimism about the future and strained social networks have made things been particularly hard for them. They have been devastated by deaths of … Continue reading I see you Millennial and Zoomer Recovery Advocates!

THE RISKS OF PUBLIC RECOVERY STORYTELLING (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

~ billstaufferpa

The first blog in this series explored the value and limitations of recovery storytelling as an anti-stigma strategy. We suggested that public storytelling is best wedded to larger recovery community inclusive strategies that move beyond the goal of changing personal attitudes to the larger goal of dismantling the institutional machinery that perpetuates stigma and discrimination. … Continue reading THE RISKS OF PUBLIC RECOVERY STORYTELLING (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

Thanksgiving 2020 – Reflections of Gratitude from an Inner Eeyore

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Reflecting back this morning of some very early lessons in my recovery journey and what I have grown to understand about the power of gratitude. Full disclosure here – I am not inherently a positive person. My inner voice can be quite negative with great frequency and intensity. Negative thinking, lists of things that have … Continue reading Thanksgiving 2020 – Reflections of Gratitude from an Inner Eeyore

PERSONAL PRIVACY AND PUBLIC RECOVERY ADVOCACY (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

~ billstaufferpa

A central strategy of the new recovery movement is sharing our stories in public and professional venues to change public perceptions and public policies related to addiction and recovery. Drawing from earlier social movements, we learned that “contact strategies”—increasing personal contact between marginalized and mainstream populations—is one of the most effective means of reducing stigma … Continue reading PERSONAL PRIVACY AND PUBLIC RECOVERY ADVOCACY (BILL WHITE, BILL STAUFFER, AND DANIELLE TARINO)

The Seed Vault of Recovery History and Our New Recovery Advocacy Movement

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This week, I listened to an excellent interview on The Best Minds Podcast featuring Harvard trained physician and internationally recognized addiction expert Dr Robert DuPont. I was struck by his humble wisdom. He spoke about his early work with methadone patients and how many of them eventually died from alcoholism. He spoke about how narrowly … Continue reading The Seed Vault of Recovery History and Our New Recovery Advocacy Movement