Tracey Helton Mitchell, RAS, CSC: A Success Story
Tracey Helton Mitchell, who earned the internationally-administered Registered Addiction Specialist (RAS) and the Clinical Supervisor Credential (CSC) professional credentials from Breining Institute, as well as the State of California-approved Certified Addictions Treatment Counselor (CATC) certification from California Association for Alcohol / Drug Educators (CAADE), is a Health Program Coordinator III with the City and County of San Francisco, and was for many years the Consumer Employment Manager for HealthRIGHT 360.
Before earning her role as an internationally credentialed substance use disorders (SUD) professional, however, she spent and survived nearly a decade of heroin abuse and hard living on the streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District.
She is the recently-published author of The Big Fix: Hope after Heroin (March, 2016), which tells her story of transformation from homeless heroin addict to stable mother of three, and the hard work that got her there. The Big Fix focuses on Ms. Helton Mitchell’s journey of recovery and rebuilding her life, and also examines the failings of the American rehabilitation system and offers a path for change. Her book is available through Amazon.com in both hardcover and electronic formats.
Ms. Helton Mitchell was recently featured on the NPR Fresh Air program, and was interviewed in “An Addict, Now Clean, Discusses Need Exchanges and ‘Hope after Heroin'” Shots: Health News from NPR, on March 8, 2016, available for listening at this link: http://www.npr.org/books/authors/469585055/tracey-helton-mitchell
She was also recently featured on CNN “Anderson Cooper” as a former heroin addict and a subject of the 1999 HBO documentary “Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street.” Excerpts from the 1999 documentary and Anderson Cooper’s interview with Ms. Helton Mitchell can be viewed here: http://www.cnn.com/videos/bestoftv/2014/02/05/ac-mitchell-heroin-addict.cnn
“We are pleased to hear whenever individuals who have earned professional credentials from Breining Institute are successful and doing good work in this profession,” said Kathy L. Christopher, Dean of Academic Affairs at Breining Institute. “Ms. Helton Mitchell’s success is due to her hard work and dedication, in the face of incredible odds, and her experiences can serve as hope for those who have suffered through similar life challenges.”
Very well done, Tracey. Keep up the good work.
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