Tiffany Hilliard speaks about her struggles with addiction Wednesday, June 12, during a community support speaker jam at Alameda Park. Eddie Trizzino/Butler Eagle

BUTLER TWP — Nathan Lazaroff could have used an event like the Community Support Program speaker jam when he was struggling daily with feelings of anxiety and depression.

On Wednesday, June 12, Lazaroff shared his story of going from debilitating anxiety to stabilizing with the help of therapy and support with a group of people at Alameda Park. The Community Support Program gathered recovery agencies from across the county for a speaking event that emphasized the importance of togetherness in recovery — a message echoed by Lazaroff, now an office assistant for National Alliance on Mental Illness of Butler County.

“It’s really made me feel hope hearing others with similar struggles; you don’t feel so alone,” Lazaroff said. “I still have struggles every day, but I now have people in my life and coping skills.”

The Community Support Program has been in the county for a few years, but some area mental health advocates are revamping its mission to add more programs for people in need.

Marcie Friel, a mental health specialist for Butler County, organized Wednesday’s speaker jam, and she said Community Support Program’s focus is on advocating for mental health awareness and funding through communication. Additionally, administrators of the program plan to help improve accessibility to recovery programs available in Butler County.

“We’re kind of regrouping as a community support program; it has been around for years but it wasn’t actively promoted,” Friel said. “We’re trying to get the word out and get more organizations involved so that it’s (a) seamless (process) as you’re going through the systems in Butler County.”

Several leaders of recovery agencies spoke at the jam, and people who have been through recovery shared their stories. Some of the other agencies attending included Butler County Human Services, the Grapevine Center, Hope is Dope, Butler VA Healthcare and others.

Tiffany Hilliard was one of the people in recovery who spoke at the event, and said it was difficult to get out of addiction because of how easy it was to rationalize her behaviors.

“I used to use drugs when I was happy, when a good thing would happen, ‘I’m gonna celebrate, I deserve this,’” Hilliard said. “I would do it because something bad happened, ‘Oh my gosh, I just can’t deal with this, I’m gonna go use.’

“Now it’s not even, like, a part of my thought process at all. Once you make it not part of your thought process, then it’s not there.”

Jen Dearth, supervisor of the Mental Health Association in Butler County, also is a facilitator of the Community Support Program. She said at the jam that hearing stories from local individuals about their areas of need helps her identify specific issues to share with elected officials. Dearth said she recently spoke with state officials about funding needs for mental health services.

“I went to the capitol in Harrisburg,” Dearth said. “We appreciate the services here in Butler, but we need more money across the state to continue our work and continue to provide services.”

Following the speeches, attendees of the jam could speak with representatives of local mental health organizations. Friel said the day was also meant to bring people together to create a greater sense of community in the area.

“Community Support Program is for people to come together, support people with mental illness and make services better, try to get funding,” Friel said. “Celebrate recovery and people doing it, let people know they’re not alone in Butler County.”

The Community Support Program has meetings at 1 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at YWCA Butler, 120 W Cunningham St. Meetings are open to the public.

Nathan Lazaroff, an office assistant for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Butler County, shares his story Wednesday, June 12, of dealing with anxiety and depression during a Community Support Program speaker jam at Alameda Park. Eddie Trizzino/Butler Eagle