Photo courtesy of Alivia Wood

For some students, an internship is a dreaded requirement for graduation. However, for one OU student, her internship is a way for her to make a real impact.

Alivia Wood is a senior pursuing a degree in psychology with a minor in criminal justice. During her last semester at OU, she chose to take a fieldwork capstone class, even though it is not required for her major.

“I thought that it would be a good idea for me,” Wood said. “Also, I really wanted to get out there. I wanted to start helping people the best I could, as someone with just a bachelor’s degree.”

In January, Wood began an internship with Face Addiction Now, a Michigan non-profit organization in Macomb County that serves as a resource to help those on their journey to recovery from addiction. The organization provides education, treatment and support networks to those in need.

Wood works at the call center, making follow-up calls to ensure individuals in recovery have the necessary support and are on track to recovery.

“We have 30-day, 90-day, four months, six months and a year of follow up,” Wood said. “Maybe you had a situation where you might have relapsed, and you don’t know what to do. I give them our hope line number, I give them information and when they’re ready, they’ll call us and ask about what we can provide for them. It’s to make sure people know we’re here for them. We want to connect with you. A lot of these people, they don’t have anyone to fall back on. They don’t have any help.”

When people call requesting support, employees will connect the callers to treatment in their area. Additionally, her job includes connecting people with rides to treatment centers.

“We deal with a lot of homeless people,” she said. “We provide them with rides. We’ll use taxi services, our own private drivers, Uber, Lyft, anything we have in our budget in order to get people to treatment.”

Wood stressed the positive work environment while at her internship.

“The job has been wonderful, and people in the office are wonderful. It is a beautiful office space. Everyone’s so kind and respectful, and there’s a big value on mental health,” Wood said.

“95% of the people who work here are people in recovery. Left and right, there’s recovery stories,” Wood said. “People who lived through this are people who are working here and working to help.”

Through this internship, Wood gets to hear real-world stories of people’s experiences.

“You learn so much from the people who work there who have experienced this, when I’m on the phone with people, when I do the follow up calls, I will hear people’s lives and their stories, and it’s just like, it kind of really opened up my worldview more than what I read in the textbook,” Wood said.

In the future, Wood hopes to obtain her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and obtain her licensure. She hopes to expand her focus on addiction beyond substance use to a field such as video game addiction.

“Alivia Wood is doing the Lord’s work helping those who have struggled with addiction get back to a healthy lifestyle. I’m very grateful that people like her exist in the world,” Robert Quigley, a friend of Wood, said.

If struggling with addiction, the OU Counseling Center can provide support. The Grizz Recovery Program also provides support for students who are in or exploring recovery from addiction.