Local center provides drug and mental health resources | InsideNoVa Culpeper – Culpeper Times
With the stigma of getting help as one of the biggest barriers facing drug addicts, SEE Recovery Center provides a judgment-free haven for those looking to turn their lives around.
“I think it can be daunting to get into services,” said Jim LaGraffe, executive director of community services for Rappahannock Rapidan. “I think it allows for a much more comfortable environment where people can come. They can participate in a group. They can talk to someone without the stigma or difficulty of accessing more formal services. »
SEE, which stands for Support, Encouragement and Empowerment, is a nonprofit center run by Rappahannock Rapidan Community Services.
Since its opening in August, the center has recorded more than 4,000 visits, including 1,000 in December.
“I think it was a huge success,” LaGraffe said. “The initial response was a bit overwhelming.”
The center is ‘walk-in’, so visitors do not need to be referred. There are no inpatient services and treatment drugs are not prescribed or administered.
Some of the services offered by the center include groups such as Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, Drug-Assisted Recovery Anonymous, and Physical and Mental Wellness.
Certified peers also work at the center to comfort visitors from those who have been in their shoes.
If someone needs more formal and in-depth services, staff can refer them to other services.
The center is located at 710 US Avenue, Culpeper. Its current hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
LaGraffe hopes to be open 24 hours a day in the future and eventually to open similar centers in the other county RRCS departments.
“We hope to have a place that community members can turn to if they are in need,” he continued.
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