Kerrie Laughlin is a Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Provider, as well as Licensed Professional Counselor and the Clinical Director at the Recovery Unplugged’s, opens a new window Northern Virginia location. She will be a guest moderator for CRRL's We the Readers Book Group, opens a new window online discussion of High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict's Double Life, opens a new window on 7/18/23.
Libraries were a big part of Kerrie’s childhood. She has strong memories of going to the public library (located near the elementary school) a lot, returning five books and checking out five more–the maximum–often accompanied by a patient older brother.
These days, Kerrie accesses eLibrary materials often, downloading selections onto a Kindle or downloading audiobooks. Books and libraries can be a part of the mental health journey, and Kerrie has read “a whole lot of substance recovery memoirs,” borrowed from the library. She shared that bibliotherapy–using books as therapy–can be an important part of a therapist’s toolkit. Indeed, most facilities specializing in recovery have a therapeutically based book club, where a therapist recommends books based on what a client might need in that moment, such as family members of someone who is struggling with addiction.
In a group therapy setting, Kerrie says, we are working with individuals who have probably not leaned into their hobbies for a long time, so they come to us with no idea what their interests are. The public library gives those in recovery opportunities to learn about anything they wish, plus, libraries are centers for community events. “We recommend the library to pretty much everyone who comes through. Community bulletin boards and events hosted by the library are good for people looking to try new things and give people a chance to make new connections.”
Kerrie has worked with various age groups, from play therapy sessions for five- and six-year-olds to spending time with geriatric clients. Adolescents benefit from access to the program’s music studios, and young families connect with other young families, lending support to each other as they work to break the cycle of addiction.
Kerrie says the work is “100 percent a calling” and has a passion for it, having been helped by therapy and therapists.
These are some titles Kerrie recommends that focus on pathways to healing for mental health issues and addiction:
Dry is a witty and gut-wrenchingly honest portrayal of the road to recovery."
We All Fall Down is a memoir by Nic Sheff in his struggle to recovery and back as a teen on methamphetamines. We All Fall Down does well to explore the rehab experience from that of an addict seeking treatment. The memoir defines the reality of the recovery process, which is not a direct line for anyone."
Beautiful Boy is written by the Nic Sheff’s father and portrays his experience as a parent trying to help himself and his child as they experience the realities of addiction to recovery. This parent’s experience is authentic and does well to capture the emotional roller coaster that loved ones face in this family disease."
Now I See You is a memoir of the author's personal battle with progressive vision loss. Kear expresses the experience of finding out she will become blind over the next 10 years and how this impacts her externally and internally. Kear’s novel parallels the shame, denial, and eventual growth often experienced by those facing the reality of a substance use disorder diagnosis."
Group Therapy outlines the development of group dynamics through stories of his experience as a practitioner."
