Welcome to our recovery community.

Recovery from substance use is a transformational experience best supported within community. If you are in recovery from substance use, considering recovery, using a harm reduction approach to shift your relationship with substances, or taking a break from substance use, the Catamount Recovery Program (CRP) is for you. We have a strong community of peers, recovery-supportive activities, recovery-based housing, in-house staff support and access to resources across campus.

Staff and faculty are welcome and valued members of the Catamount Recovery Program.

Get information about joining CRP

Our Space

The CRP Lounge is available to members 24/7. We have a stocked pantry, couches for relaxing and connecting, tables for studying and art projects, a ping pong table, and an A/V system for group movie watching. Our staff is available available for social, emotional, and academic support and liaising. We also provide referrals to recovery-specific counseling and psychiatry resources, education, and recovery support.

Services and Programming

CRP offers a variety of services to support your experience at UVM as a student in recovery:

  • CRP staff support: drop-in hours for conversation, support, guidance and discussion.
  • On campus recovery housing: located near the CRP Lounge and available for students with a minimum of six months of abstinence-based recovery. Recovery housing is optional for CRP members living on campus.
  • Priority registration: CRP students have access to registration 30 minutes before their academic peers in order to prioritize recovery practices and self-care.
  • Collaboration with Student Accessibility Services (SAS): CRP staff work collaboratively with SAS to ensure that students in recovery have the benefits of accommodations to support them in their academic pursuits.
  • CRP class: HDF 031 Exploring Development through Community, a 1-credit course your first and second semester in CRP supporting student wellness, academic, social success.
  • Therapeutic recovery group: led by counselors from Counseling and Psychiatry Services (CAPS) and designed to support students in recovery address clinical concerns.

Catamount Recovery Program also offers regular programming designed to support community, connection, and fun at UVM and in the greater Burlington community. 

  • CRP community events. Events for the CRP community include recovery-supportive meetings, holiday parties and celebrations, Sober Superbowl party, ping-pong-tournaments, movie marathons, game nights, study nights, arts and crafts events, and CRP graduation.
  • UVM events. CRP organizes groups to attend a variety of events on the UVM campus including: athetic events, theater shows, musical and artistic performances, Fall Fest, Spring Fest, and Halloween activities.
  • Vermont experiences and events. CRP hosts a outings and events off campus, including: apple picking, moonlight hikes, holiday parties, and more.

Our Approach: Five Pillars of Recovery in College

Five foundational elements are core to supporting students in recovery in in college:

Recovery

Recovery is a dynamic and transformational process which provides opportunity to improve our overall wellness, to live a self-directed life, to strive to reach our full potential, and to have an enhanced quality of life (adapted from SAMSHA’s definition of recovery).

Community

Our community provides us with a sense of meaning, connection, purpose and value.  We are committed to building and strengthening our community for ourselves and for others. Our community offers us a sense of being a part of something greater, the option to never feel alone, and reflects who and what we can be. We know that the community element of our CRP is our greatest resource and we honor this in language and action.

Academics

Education strengthens us intellectually, socially, emotionally, and professionally and we prioritize and invest in them accordingly. We seek support and assistance when needed and offer our academic strengths to one another. Education helps us realize how limitless our opportunities are when recovery is the foundation for our efforts.

Self-Care

Self-care is engaging positively and proactively in your wellbeing. It’s about investing time and energy into regular practices that reaffirm your belief in yourself and the inherent value of you. Self-care practices vary based on individual needs, experiences, and personality.

Advocacy

We advocate for recovery as a model of wellbeing accessible to all in need.  We choose to use our voices to educate, to shift perception and understanding of recovery through the voice of experience.   Our voices must be heard and we engage in the dialogue of recovery. We advocate for the healing and transformative power of recovery. We tell the world that recovery works.

Donate to CRP

Contact

Amy Boyd Austin, MSS,
Catamount Recovery Program Director

Email: Recovery@uvm.edu
Phone: (802) 656-0236