Episode 131
The Power of Presence: Nik Darrah on Healing and Community Outreach

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Description

In this episode, Chris brings Nik Darrah back to the show, this time as Peaks Recovery Center’s new Community Outreach Specialist! From experiencing PRC as a client 10 years ago to now being a part of the staff, Nik shares his milestones, successes, and personal ambitions for his new role. In this shared discussion, the spotlight lands on updating definitions of substance use to classify it as a mental health disorder, to the power of slowing down and being present. Community outreach is vital and we are so happy to bring Nik back home to Peaks to continue saving lives, one day at a time.

Talking Points

1. 
   
2. Reintroduction for Nik (1:04)
   
3. Values first (3:33)
   
4. Connectedness in the industry (8:05)
   
5. In-state or out-of-state treatment? (8:35)
   
6. Substance use is a mental health condition (10:39)
   
7. Not a sales job (15:10)
   
8. The power of the process (17:00)
   
9. Slowing down (19:00)
   
10. Appreciation for Nik (20:52)
    
11. Final thoughts (21:35)
    

Quotes

“I think the shift in evolution and substance use treatment specifically is shifting more towards a mental health base”.

-Nik Darrah, Community Outreach Specialist

Episode Transcripts

Episode -131- Transcripts

[Music] hey everybody and welcome to another amazing and exciting episode of Finding Peaks Yours Truly president and founder chief executive officer Chris Burns so excited to be joined by our community outreach Specialists and alumni first client let’s make sure we get the resume correct Nicholas star great to have you on the show sir yeah thank you I’m so happy to be back and I’m happy to be a part of this company now it’s amazing yeah it’s like I was um I was at a conference I just got back from emergence 2024 yeah and one of the um women that was up there speaking as one of the keynote speakers she talked about working in the field similar to you for years yeah before coming back to a place that she called home she was like in and her place was this place called The Friendly House and they called her up and said hey would you want to come back do an x y andz and she’s like would I want to come home yeah um uh I bet that experience has been really really cool um maybe tell the viewers what that’s been like I mean 10 years later Nick 10 years I know and when you said that it actually gave me goosebumps a little bit because it feels the exact same way like when I’m talking to people they’re like how are things going and I’m like I’m home like this is where I was meant to be you know what I mean like I come in and I know the HR person and the owner and the Ed and all of these people and it felt so welcoming and I’ve been there about a month is now May be a little longer and I feel like I’ve worked here forever like it just feels like I’m like part of ingrained in the the family you know and it’s so magical to to come from working in the industry where I’ve had amazing jobs and I’ve met amazing people to then transition back to where I learned like what it was for me and and what changed my life and made me the person I am today yeah and so to to have the experience to sit at the table if you will in that way is so impactful and it’s amazing love it here it’s it’s so cool to have you back and um you know everyone was really really excited and and we knew I was actually at um and I’m going to talk about it a little bit but I was at the emergence conference and um our old Outreach specialist Jessica was there yeah and she’s working for an adolescent program at um Phoenix she’s doing really well and she’s like I was so upset that you guys hired until I learned who it was and she’s like and I’m so happy she’s like that is a beautiful fit um and so want to touch on a little bit um this conference I just went to emergence yeah emergence of what 2024 TJ Woodward conscious recovery put on this wonderful conference best conference I’ve been to by far most connected most authentic most integrated and just very special and near and dear to my heart and one of the things that they talked about a lot there and that I was on a panel for was the emergence of spirituality within Behavioral Health yeah and the emphasis the overarching emphasis that we have on that and just to see our clients yeah and I think sometimes that gets missed when we get into our bioses and our assessments and our front-end processes and our policies and just to see somebody yeah and now that we have you kind of on the marketing path um I’m reminded of the video our 10e video when you say that you guys essentially saw me yeah how do we emulate for the community from a business development perspective like Peaks recovery like simply put we see you you yeah you know and it it’s a big question but I think it can be boiled down to something really simple and that’s like keeping our values in mind of what it is right like especially in a marketing or a sales or a business development role we often think of things like Tech sales for example right I’m going to sell you this software program and we’re going to do kind of like a shotgun technique we’re going to send this out to everyone and they’re going to see it and they’re going to want this product right and I think that works some but I also think like we’ve seen such a shift in business development from this this style of a one for one like if you send me a referral Iceland you a a referral and getting away from this old school mentality of like body brokering right and that was a huge thing back in the day now you get felonies for it and you go to prison which is amazing because that’s exactly what should happen um because this isn’t a product I’m selling this is a person this is their life and if they don’t get it right here they could die like actually be dead and so why are are we trying to Market it in the same way we would a laptop you know it doesn’t make sense to do it that way and I think switching our perception in that can be really impactful um there’s a great organization here called Copla which stands for the Colorado Association of profession or the Colorado Le professional liaison Association that’s what it is yeah um and they do things to build ethical treatment and business development in the behavi real Health industry right um and I think that really speaks to the culture of of what we see in marketing here right and how instead of this old school mentality we’re we’re shifting to see the client as a person who needs help right and so if when I get a referral out from someone or they call us and we can’t take them for whatever reason I don’t just go okay well like here’s your insurance option call them bye right like I spend time I get to know the families I get to know them and say okay well you’re telling me that your child needs help with schoolwork and they have borderline personality disorder and this is the entrance you have and I go through my little roller decks you know whatever and pull names that really fit that client right so I’m sending them out there regardless if I know they’re going to send back to me because that’s not the goal right it’s it’s to place this person in this care and I think um I have some examples like I worked with this mother for two and a half months I would call her once a week right trying to find a good fit for her son because he had uh pretty high needs right and I’m talking to her and I just call her to check in see how things are going you know and the sound of her voice throughout those months right like it started so hopeless she’s like I’ve called 15 places and they just say nothing they can’t take him and that’s all but you call and you check in and you provide real support and you’re trying to learn what we do and it’s so cool and amazing and I’m just really grateful for that right and that I think is that shift right seeing this person as a person who has a family who has loved ones who’s trying to do better and do one of the hardest things they’ve probably ever done in their life now my job is to help that happen facilitate that and what does that look like yeah you know and really you know what’s coming up for me as you said that is like giving reverence to this process yeah like this is we are so privileged to be walking with humans yes and I love the admissions team they they developed it themselves it was a listen first solve later but I like the idea of like listen first walk later yeah because there there’s a human right there and if we can see that human appropriately that human has needs yeah uh specific to that individual right and if we we can begin to potentially for the first time in that person’s life begin to cater to those needs those inherent needs we can create a process that’s much more fluid and opportunistic not just for the treatment program but for the individual right you know and they get to come in and they get to settle yeah and experience things that they haven’t been experiencing like safety yeah and connection and Attunement absolutely um AB so I love that you’re moving and you’re creating that energy and that Peaks can be a part of um or at the Forefront with some of these more integrous providers to ensure that like we don’t we don’t need to walk with everybody we just need to walk with the people that need us the most right absolutely and I think that’s how we create change in the industry right like this thought of um connectedness right so like if we show up that way and we know this organization shows up that way and then this organization does when a new person comes they’re either going to show up the positive way and be part of the group or they’re going to kind of be on the outskirts and they’re not really going to last right and I think that goes back to this idea of how we’re connected and how one conversation can change the trajectory of so many people you know yeah how are you finding in the um provider Community yeah are you finding that there are within the state of Colorado and specifically on the Front Range are you finding that we have most resources covered in a really really authentic way are you finding that there’s reasonable foreseeability a lot to refer out of state for specific issues I I think it’s a balance right I would say it’s probably 50/50 right there are some out of state programs that are phenomenal and there’s nothing like it here right and so if that’s going to be the best fit and it’s feasible and doable right why not go to the program that’s out of state that’s going to give you the best chance of success um I think I’ve seen clients from everywhere across the United States in my professional life and I think it really is about what’s going to be best for you in that moment to move forward right because at the end of the day I can come in and say you need to do blah blah blah blah blah XYZ every moment and you can do those things but when you leave here if that’s not you if that’s not going to be something you do it won’t matter you’re going to go back to doing what you want to do right yeah that no that’s beautifully stated how do you think it’s going to land you know because you’re really just first four weeks you know I I know you’ve gotten some referrals and things that but it hasn’t been necessarily your intention yeah um how do you think it lands going out into community and instead of selling this like mutually exclusive we do mental health and I heard it in California I was just like okay yeah we this substance use house this is a mental health house and these are separated and it’s different how do you think it’s going to be received or maybe you’ve already experienced how it’s being received when you’re going out and like hey you know like we treat suffering and we actually treat this population together together really really well and I wonder if it’s the separation and I don’t know I’m not an expert but I wonder if it’s the separation of the two that continues to have unnecessary weighted shame on one human or another maybe you can speak to that a little bit like just in the in the community because you don’t hear a lot of it I was just at a conference everybody’s like substance use Mental Health substance use Mental Health it’s like do we treat humans or what what do we do here yeah and I think if I’m really going to boil it down and and I think simplify it like substance use is a mental health condition right yeah so like people don’t just go out and become addicted to drugs because their life is so great and everything’s going good right like it’s it’s a coping skill that we use whether that is to numb yourself from everything or maybe you are dealing with some mental health diagnosis symptoms right and so then substances take those away right and I think that’s super true for anything from paranoid schizophrenia to generalized anxiety right like if you’re anxious and you know you do cocaine and that makes you not feel anxious you’re probably going to do cocaine right because that’s how you live your life and I I think the shift and evolution and in substance use treatment specifically is Shifting more towards a mental health base right because if you don’t treat those underlying conditions it doesn’t matter if they stop using drugs for 30 days those things are going to creep back in and creep back in and then here we are back in treatment again for whatever the five six seventh 15th time depending on the client right and if we can shift that to to think of substance use as a mental health condition because it is then all treatment centers are going to be mental health right and there’s going to be Specialties right like your program might be DBT specialized to treat borderline personality disorder you might be more CBT based and you can treat depression right and that’s great and substance use fits in there so I think the real shift is happening at a lot of these wellestablished treatment centers to go from this traditional addiction recovery model that’s been around since the 30s into a more nuanced approach that that takes into account a whole person and how to treat them wholly as opposed to symptomatically huge huge and in words as were talking about before the show now we’re back to this thing like Words matter words matter and like it’s like okay so I’m going to come in and it’s being really well received like in California I went up there and when I said we treat suffering it was like it may be the first time they’ heard that in this room yeah you know and because if I’m going to go to a substance use Treatment Center I mean Tommy Rosen said it best on um the he gave a talk right at the end there and he said okay I’m going to go get my substance use treated MH now I don’t have any more substance use issues well holy [  ] now I’m [  ] excuse my French because now all the other issues are here and I don’t have my coping mechanism and now this is a real bad time you want to talk about like hanging on and that’s why I really love the 12 Steps early on because it it’s kind of a desperation model and we can show up there in This calamity and create some potential Serenity and some Synergy yeah um but I love that you can go out into Community now yeah and really every time I’ve brought it up yeah it’s been really well received oh all ages yeah mental health and this yeah and let me talk about how oh yeah that makes sense it does make sense and I think it it makes sense and I think it is really well received and I also think it challenges stigma right because people sometimes depending on who you are can really rationalize mental health right they’re like depression is real that’s a real thing where they can’t do that for substance use or vice versa right and I think when we speak of it as a whole condition which is a mental health condition and a behavioral health field right then we in the stigma of like oh this is a drug addict right they don’t deserve this stuff they did these things to themselves right which is a belief a lot of people have had and has shifted a lot which has been great yeah it’s not only on that substance you side it takes the weight off the substance AB but also the person um who’s depressed at home and doesn’t have those types of substance issues was like [ __ ] I can get help now too yeah so it pushes us closer together and not further heart and so that can only be yeah connected connectiveness absolutely and I think it’s it’s being honest with who you really are right and and being able to be authentically yourself in the moment whether that shows up with your substance use issues or your mental health issues or whatever things you’re walking through in your life and and learning that it’s okay to have those things and how do I move forward through it right and it doesn’t make me a bad person it doesn’t make me weak or whatever we heard exactly yeah yeah it’s it’s really cool man just like personally professionally we’ve been spending a lot of time together lately and um how does it feel to be out be able to go out into community and maybe correct me if I’m wrong if this doesn’t feel right if the shoe doesn’t fit don’t wear it but how does it feel to go out in community and like you don’t you don’t have to sell anything it’s amazing I like like it just is what it is it is what it is right like I’ll go in the community and I’ll say oh yeah I work for Peaks Recovery Center and immediately people are like oh yeah we love them you know um and so they’re like I’m so excited to be able to get there show up and how do I get to come to your site just to check it out right and I think that reputation comes from the quality care that is given to the clients right it’s it’s not about the word of mouth what the website looks like or what’s posted on Facebook right it’s about these clients have left our care and whether they’re going to do after care they’re seeing a therapist their family is seeing a therapist whatever the case is they speak so highly of what they’ve gained here as a client right which then trickles out into the community um and so to to be able to just walk into a room and have people know exactly what we do without even really having to push it is amazing and I think probably if you’re uh in business development anyone’s dream honestly I can just talk about the new add-ons or some of the new things we’re doing but Peaks is what we are who we say we are and we’ve been that way for 10 years yeah that’s right you know it’s a really crazy to even think that we I know we just celebrated the 10e thing but um to move out into Community with that authenticity and and that story is really really cool and it’s you wear it so well because your last 10 years speak so wholeheartedly to um what this process um if entered into courageously can provide for you it’s very true I mean it’s it’s so wild to think about was just talking with someone um who was a client around the same time as me and this thought of like sure it was a different style of treatment right but it was exactly what I needed in that moment to to be who I am today and if I didn’t have this and I didn’t show up the way that I did in treatment would I be here would I be doing the things that I’m doing right the answer is no obviously um but then it it reminds me of the impact I have on people right I come from a clinical background I did a lot of clinical work and I just got a call yesterday I’m like Amazed by this uh from someone and they were talking about their sober living they opened and they went is this Nick and I went it is yeah they’re like oh did you work at so and so and I went yeah I went I was your client and you changed my life and like to hear that I like I’m going to cry it was like so impactful right because it’s something that you don’t really think about you know what I mean it’s like I did what I needed to for that client because I cared about them and I wanted their life to change and now I get to work with them professionally in such a different way um that’s something I haven’t really experienced in that in my life and and it’s so magical when I think about it like all of this stemmed from a phone call and like a trust that I had when I was in a 28-day treatment center that I heard it was like this program’s opening do you want to come be a part of it you’re going to be the leader there is what I heard yeah and I went all right yeah for it I I want to be a leader that’s right yeah I like I don’t know but I was here we are you know that’s so cool man and it’s uh it’s just like yeah it’s just so full circle I was um watching this podcast yeah and it was a rich roll podcast I love Rich Roll yeah and there was a gal on there speaking and I forget her name unfortunately but she talked about now creating purpose in recovery and like why why sometimes does it have to be these like you know for me it’s like I’m going to go hike these hundred mountains I’m going to go do a marathon I’m going do these things I’m be a fighter yeah you know it’s like just slow down yeah right and and you brought it up so eloquently for the viewers you’re like if I can slow down for a moment and hear what that client just told me yeah my purpose is right in front of meh in the moments that I get to experience in presence with other humans yeah that is the purpose of my life today and I again I heard that on a podcast and I just needed to be able to zoom out a little bit because Nick when we slow down that wasn’t the first call you’ve gotten like that no this is an extraordinary experience we’re walking through you as an alumni me as a Founder 10 years removed personally professionally yeah um we are Beyond blessed absolutely absolutely and you’re right on I mean it is I say that was like the experience I’ve had but that’s not true like I see cents all the time at different places and and they’re doing different things um so you’re right it is about like slowing down in that moment and like being present and here for it and I think I don’t know what I think I think it’s it’s like Indescribable almost like what happens to you when you can get there right it’s like this like the term of Enlightenment if you will right like you’re just here yeah and what did they say before Enlightenment what do they say chop carry water oh what do they say after Enlightenment chop wood carry water oh I heard that again this week too okay yeah I was like oh yeah that is what they say so the work is there like before Enlightenment we do the thing after Enlightenment we do the thing we do the thing yeah um well I didn’t want to leave this episode Nick without expressing my gratitude for you um professionally personally relationally uh thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to show up for you your recovery um and thanks for showing up for me and so many different facets and days and opportunities that we’ve had to spend together and I look forward to walking Moment by moment with you out into community and really just sharing with people the good news that we have going on over here yeah I do too and I feel so blessed and fortunate to be a part of this and to to have this in my life and it’s something I talk about with my family all the time right is like how fortunate I am in this and and how different it could be out there yeah so I feel blessed and anything I can do always here for it appreciate you so much man we’ll have to get an update as you go out there you know he’ll be spending some time out in the community doing his thing and so we’ll have you on here in the next six months bring on some of your friends some like-minded individuals and want to connect authentically a tune and work together to make magic happen for individuals that need it the most Nicholas Dar everybody thank you so much brother thank you yeah absolutely until next time my amazing humans peace