Derrick Kirkland makes sure everyone who walks through the doors of the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH) is immediately greeted with a smile and a warm ‘Good morning’ or ‘Good afternoon.’
As the ADAMH Front Desk Support Specialist, Derrick said a welcoming approach goes a long way.
“I want to meet people right where they are, and I want our visitors to feel like they can speak to me about anything that’s going on with them,” he said.
While a smile is always helpful, Derrick believes his lived experience as a person in recovery is what truly equips him to excel in his role.
“I’m young in spirit and heart and still have a lot to give to the recovery community,” he said.
For most of his life, Derrick was a person living with a substance use disorder and an alcohol use disorder. Through years of support and dedication to his recovery, Derrick has been sober for 13 years and has been a certified Peer Recovery Supporter (PRS) for 10 years. Learn more about his recovery journey here.
“I get a lot of calls from people who want to learn how to become a PRS themselves, and people can just hear it in my voice that I myself am a PRS; this is someone who understands them," he said.
"When I see a person in recovery, I see me,” Derrick said.
When Derrick joined ADAMH two years ago, he admits that it wasn’t an easy decision to leave his prior role as a PRS at The P.E.E.R. Center.
The organization, which is an ADAMH-funded provider agency, is a drop-in wellness, recovery and support center for persons living with mental health, addiction and trauma concerns.
“The P.E.E.R. Center is near and dear to me,” Derrick said. “They gave me an opportunity to grow and work in the behavioral health field.”
While it was a tough decision to leave The P.E.E.R. Center, Derrick knew there was an opportunity to further serve the recovery community at ADAMH. Derrick is the first certified PRS the board has ever had in the front desk position. Derrick is also CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention certified and CPR certified.
Since taking on the role of Front Desk Support Specialist, Derrick's responsibilities range from ensuring the security of the building and ADAMH staff, to greeting guests —whether they are clients, vendors or community members — and connecting callers to the right person or service, which he says is the most rewarding part of the job.
“It’s about being helpful and assisting individuals who might not even know what they’re calling for but need some kind of help getting the right information or to the right department,” Derrick said. “There’s a lot I need to know because we want to be timely. We don’t want to hold people up in case something could be pressing.”
Outside of work, Derrick continues to support The P.E.E.R. Center as “Volunteer #1,” a name he said he’s affectionately known by. He facilitates peer support groups on the first Thursday of the month, as well as a support group for Mental Health America of Ohio every first and third Monday of the month. In addition, Derrick also is training to get his Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant Preliminary Certificate.
While Derrick isn’t planning to retire anytime soon, he’s excited about the future of the Front Desk Support Specialist role.
“After I’m gone, I hope the next individual who sits in this seat is better or greater than I am as a PRS at the front desk of the ADAMH Board of Franklin County,” he said.