September is Recovery Month and King County’s mental health and substance use Recovery Community is thriving today.  

Earlier this month our director of the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD), Susan McLaughlin attended the Seattle Mariners’ Recovery Day game with more than 2,000 people in recovery and their loved ones, including our partners at the Washington Recovery Alliance, King County Recovery Coalition, Recovery Cafe and more.  

“Whether you have one day, one year, one decade or more – you are the hope, the strength, that motivates the work we do at the King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division, every day,” Susan McLaughlin said at the pre-game rally in Occidental Park.  “You are proof that treatment works, and recovery is possible!”

This is a message we want everyone in King County to know.  

Hearing stories from people in recovery about their lived experience is motivating not just for us, but for people in recovery, and the people who work and support people in recovery. Sharing stories is one way people can reduce stigma and create a sense of community for those living in recovery—two key goals of Recovery Month. 

Here are a few recovery stories we are honored to share from our Behavioral Health Legislative Forum last year.  

To hear more stories of recovery, or if you are interested in sharing your own with your state and local law makers to inform future policy, please save the date for King County’s 30th Behavioral Health Legislative Forum on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. 

The Forum is a lively evening of conversation and learning among the mental health and substance use recovery communities, state and local lawmakers, behavioral health providers, and King County leaders. It’s free and open to all. 

We hope you’ll join us to celebrate recovery, share in the conversation, and engage with King County’s legislative priorities for behavioral health in 2025. Find more details at KingCounty.Gov/Forum. 

In the meantime, here are a few recovery-driven initiatives BHRD is working on: 

  • Training our behavioral health workforce on recovery principles. 
  • Developing more peers with lived experience in the workforce to support people in recovery. 
  • Promoting the voices of people with lived experience to help reduce stigma around substance use or mental health challenges and living in recovery. 
  • Creating supportive and thriving communities for people in recovery through our partnerships with providers like Recovery Academy, Hero House NW, King Co. Recovery Coalition, NAMI Seattle, NAMI Eastside, Dad’s Move, Recovery Beyond, Peer WA, Recovery Cafe, Guided Pathways and more.