Transforming Stigma into Strength: Courtney Harrness and VAMHAR's Impact on Mental Health and Addiction Recovery
- Catherine Huckaby
- Nov 14
- 10 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
What if the experiences we try the hardest to hide could become our greatest strengths in helping others? Meet Courtney Harrness, Director of Strategic Advancement for the Vermont Association for Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (VAMHAR), whose journey from personal recovery to professional advocacy is reshaping how the state of Vermont approaches mental health and addiction in the workplace.
The Real Cost of Workplace Stigma
Even though most of the world has become more open about mental health in our personal lives, there's a glaring disconnect in our professional environments. Courtney puts it bluntly:
"We may be open and willing to accept mental challenges with our neighbors, family, and friends, but when someone applies for a job at our business or place of employment, it doesn't translate."
This harsh reality affects millions. Despite federal protection against discrimination, people in recovery face an uphill battle when seeking employment. As he explains,
"Answering truthfully in job interviews are still big red flags... Even though we know fundamentally that discrimination is federally protected, it happens everywhere... every single day, in almost every interview and for almost every job."
The challenge hits close to home for his work in Vermont. A 2022 survey revealed that 60% of employers remain hesitant to hire individuals in recovery, even as VAMHAR supports over 30,000 Vermonters annually who are accessing treatment services across the state's 640,000 residents.
Working as Director of Strategic Advancement, he leads initiatives that tackle these challenges head-on through three core areas: workforce development, recovery-friendly workplace initiatives, and community convening. All are designed to bridge the gap between personal acceptance and professional inclusion.
VAMHAR: A Legacy of Innovation and Impact
Understanding his work requires appreciating that VAMHAR isn't just another nonprofit. It's a transformative force reshaping the state’s approach to mental health and addiction recovery. Founded in 1939 through the Montpelier Ladies' Garden Club, this organization has evolved into the state's Mental Health America affiliate that unites communities, promotes lived experiences, and builds inclusive pathways to wellness.
With over a dozen staff members and an annual budget approaching $1 million, VAMHAR delivers outsized impact through innovative programming. The Recovery Coach Academy has trained over 1,100 coaches since 2010, with 125 earning international credentials. Their Beyond Bars program supports Vermonters returning from incarceration, while the newly relaunched Collective Learning Institute of Vermont offers 26 courses focused on lived experience and trauma-informed care.
Most relevant to Courtney's role is VAMHAR's Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative, Vermont's only affiliate of the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute. This groundbreaking program helps employers create supportive environments for employees in recovery, delivering documented benefits including 30% reduced absenteeism and 25% lower turnover rates.
From Athletic Training to Life-Changing Advocacy
Sometimes our education prepares us for one path, but our purpose calls us to another. Courtney's academic foundation was solid. He holds a bachelor's degree in athletic training from Springfield College, complemented by certifications in equity leadership and team management. His initial plan seemed perfectly mapped out.
"I thought I wanted to be in service of athletes, preventing and treating athletic injuries."
Life had different plans. Twenty years ago, he "fell into the YMCA" and discovered nonprofit work.
"I didn't know it was a nonprofit. I was 24 years old, and remember my friends making fun of me for working there."
That accidental entry led to work across 22 states and eight countries, building a foundation for his current mission.
The personal turning point came through his own recovery journey. "I'm about 32 months sober," he shares openly. Losing his father in March 2023 and discovering his dad's hidden struggle with addiction fundamentally shifted his perspective.
"I didn't know about his addiction until after he died. It put my whole childhood and... the next 20 years of my life, from four to 24, in a very different perspective."
This personal transformation aligned perfectly with VAMHAR's mission of promoting lived experience and community-driven solutions.
The Hidden Crisis in Today's Workforce
One of the most striking aspects of his work is how it reveals the scope of mental health and addiction challenges in our communities.
"Today there are more people likely to die by suicide than ever before in the history of the world. There are also more people likely to die of an overdose."
These aren't abstract statistics; they represent colleagues, neighbors, and family members struggling in silence. The pressure intensifies for younger generations as digital culture creates unrealistic expectations about how life should look.
"There are these immense pressures on young people that just continue to gather steam and snowball."
VAMHAR addresses these challenges through comprehensive community engagement, from leading awareness campaigns like Recovery Month and Recovery Day at the Vermont Statehouse to advocating for healthcare funding and policy changes. Their work aligns with Vermont's Economic Action Plan, positioning recovery as an economic strategy that reduces repeat offenses, decreases healthcare costs, and increases workforce participation.
Five Key Insights About Recovery and Workplace Success
Based on VAMHAR's research-backed initiatives, here are the crucial facts employers need to understand about hiring people in recovery:
1. Recovery Builds Resilience
"Being in recovery and battling a brain disease of addiction and working through that process and coming out on the other side... is something to be proud of and celebrated."
2. Better Health Outcomes
People in recovery tend to have fewer sick days because "they have a tendency to take care of themselves in a way that other people in active addiction don't."
3. Enhanced Team Dynamics
"People in recovery are great teammates, positive and good people."
4. Strong Work Ethic
Having overcome significant challenges, people in recovery "want to connect, love, celebrate, be positive, contribute, and be productive."
5. Business Benefits
"You become a better business when employees are in recovery," supported by VAMHAR's documented data around productivity, retention, and healthcare costs.
The Power of Connection Over Isolation
Central to both Courtney's approach and VAMHAR's philosophy is understanding that recovery "is dependent on connection and community engagement." This principle drives everything the organization does, from one-on-one peer support to statewide policy advocacy.
Their engagement strategy transcends traditional meetings.
"Community engagement for us is beyond gathering in a public space. It's one-on-one connection. It's understanding the unique and intricate balance of ecosystems throughout the state."
This holistic approach emerged from extensive listening sessions across Vermont, where VAMHAR and partners spoke with hundreds of community members, people in active addiction, peer recovery coaches, behavioral healthcare workforce, municipal and state leaders. The consistent message was clear: Vermont needed more education, awareness, and opportunities for meaningful dialogue about mental health and addiction.
VAMHAR's response has been comprehensive, supporting the creation of recovery centers, the Vermont Recovery Network, and innovative initiatives like Camp Daybreak and Me/2 Orchestra.
Navigating COVID's Impact and Strategic Advancement
The pandemic intensified existing challenges while creating unexpected opportunities for progress. Virtual settings couldn't replicate in-person connection:
"It's not the same... people get distracted and don't feel your feelings... In the recovery field we're huggers. We can't share emotions with you in the same way virtually."
However, COVID brought mental health conversations into the mainstream.
"It definitely put some urgency behind solutions... the conversation around mental health specifically has shifted and... it doesn't feel like it's a giant X that you hide from, people are much more open."
This shift also created new opportunities for strategic advancement, exactly the systems-level thinking he brings to his work. The organization adapted by launching virtual training platforms and strengthening digital outreach. The relaunched Collective Learning Institute exemplifies this approach, offering online courses that maintain personal connection while reaching broader audiences.
Unfortunately, the challenge of translating personal openness into professional acceptance remains. Despite progress in reducing stigma in personal relationships, workplace discrimination persists. As he notes, this creates a dangerous disconnect where "people have not been able to take those more open conversations they’re having at home and in their neighborhoods into their workplace."
Essential Skills for Public Service Careers
For those considering careers in public service or community engagement, Courtney offers clear guidance rooted in two decades of experience. His advice centers on building genuine human connections:
"Learn how to connect with people. Take as many classes in listening, counseling, and psychology as you can. Learn and understand how to have a conversation. Learn how to think differently. Learn how to be curious about people."
He also emphasizes intellectual curiosity: "Take classes in sociology. Take classes in philosophy, not to learn what philosophers wrote, but to learn what it's like to be curious... to want to better understand someone who seems to have nothing in common with you."
Most importantly, he advocates direct experience:
"Be in community. Don't live behind a computer. Be with people, learn from them, ask more questions... do it with no judgment and put those skills into practice with a relentless pursuit of progress."
This philosophy aligns perfectly with VAMHAR's approach to workforce development and community engagement. The organization's success stems from this commitment to lived experience and authentic connection—principles guiding both their programming and hiring practices.
Building Recovery-Friendly Workplaces: VAMHAR's Blueprint
VAMHAR's role as Vermont's only affiliate of the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute provides a concrete roadmap for other organizations. Their Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative covers everything from hiring practices to retention strategies, employee engagement, policies, procedures, and support groups.
The program has evolved to include tailored consultations, policy evaluations, and comprehensive training for leadership and supervisors. In 2024, VAMHAR reported five partner organizations and launched the formal designation program in September 2025. Today, VAMHAR is partnering with over 20 employers who represent over 2,500 Vermont employees.
The key is shifting perspective from viewing recovery as a liability to recognizing it as an asset.
"We're not telling you to be nice and hire these people. We're saying you become a better business if more employees are in recovery, instead of hiding from their addictions."
This isn't about moral obligations. It's about practical business benefits backed by VAMHAR's research. Organizations embracing recovery-friendly practices see improvements in employee engagement, reduced healthcare costs, lower turnover, and stronger team dynamics.
The Ripple Effect of Personal Transformation
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of Courtney's story is how personal recovery becomes community transformation. For him, this involved "thousands and thousands of words of journaling and therapy and medication and conversation and realization and becoming a better parent and a better spouse and a better friend."
This personal transformation informed his professional mission and aligned with VAMHAR's core values. Losing his father and discovering his hidden struggles with addiction provided new perspective that fuels his commitment to breaking cycles of silence and shame. Work that resonates throughout VAMHAR's programming.
"When my kids are talking to you in a few years about what they're doing for work, they can say, oh, my dad had this challenge, but we grew up talking about it... and we know where to go for help."
Looking Forward: Hope and Practical Progress
Despite challenges, he maintains optimism grounded in practical progress and VAMHAR's proven track record. Vermont's unique size, 640,000 people across 9,616 square miles, creates exceptional opportunities for meaningful change.
"We're big enough where it's hard to get from one corner to the other, but small enough where real, important, impactful change can happen."
This optimism is backed by concrete achievements. VAMHAR's work has contributed to policy victories, including recognition for advocates like Patty McCarthy, who received the Legislative Champion Award at Recovery Day 2025 for her work in substance use disorder treatment.
The goal isn't perfection but preparedness:
"We're not perfect. We'll never be perfect. But we know where to go for help. And we know how to get support and who we can go to talk to about it."
The Business Case for Compassion
Ultimately, Courtney's work demonstrates that supporting people in recovery isn't just morally right; it's smart business. When addressing "workforce shortages," he reframes the conversation:
"There's not a workforce shortage, there's a bias overage."
This perspective reveals untapped potential in communities nationwide. VAMHAR's data-driven approach proves that addressing bias and creating supportive environments allows organizations to access dedicated, resilient team members who bring unique strengths to the workplace.
People in recovery often demonstrate higher engagement, better attendance, and stronger commitment to their teams. They've developed crucial life skills around communication, problem-solving, and resilience that benefit any workplace.
He puts it simply:
"People in recovery have been through some tough stuff and they work through it to get to the other side. They want to be around humans, connect, love, celebrate, be positive, contribute, and be productive."
A Call to Action for Leaders
Courtney's message for current and future leaders is clear: the personal and professional divide around mental health and addiction must end. The same compassion we show family members and friends needs to extend into our workplaces and communities.
This requires intentional effort backed by proven strategies like those VAMHAR provides. It means examining hiring practices, creating supportive policies, and fostering environments where people feel safe to be authentic about their struggles and recovery journeys.
VAMHAR's comprehensive approach offers a model for other states and organizations. Their combination of peer support, workplace initiatives, policy advocacy, and community engagement creates multiple pathways for positive change. The organization's 85-year history demonstrates the power of sustained commitment to mental health and addiction recovery.
As he reflects on his mission:
"There's nothing else I would rather be doing right now. I'm really proud to do the work that I do. I'm proud that when my daughters get a little older, they'll know and see what I do and be proud of the work."
VAMHAR provides a blueprint for communities everywhere. By combining personal authenticity with professional expertise, data-driven approaches with compassionate outreach, he and his colleagues are proving that meaningful change is possible—one conversation, one workplace, one life at a time.
The question isn't whether we can afford to address mental health and addiction in our communities and workplaces. The question is whether we can afford not to.
As Courtney's story and VAMHAR's track record demonstrate, the cost of continued stigma and silence is too high for individuals, families, and communities to bear. The path forward requires courage, compassion, and commitment, but with organizations like VAMHAR leading the way, the destination is not just worth the journey; it's within reach.
Organizations and Resources Mentioned
Vermont Association of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery (VAMHAR) is a statewide nonprofit founded in 1939 that serves as Vermont's Mental Health America affiliate, focusing on advocacy, education, and recovery-oriented systems for mental health and addiction.
National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute is a national organization that provides training, resources, and certification for employers seeking to create supportive workplace environments for employees in recovery from mental health and substance use challenges.
Recovery Coach Academy is VAMHAR's comprehensive training program that has prepared over 1,100 peer recovery coaches since 2010, with 125 earning international credentials through the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium.
Collective Learning Institute of Vermont (CLI-VT) is VAMHAR's newly relaunched online education platform offering 26 courses focused on lived experience, trauma-informed care, and equitable access to mental health and addiction resources.
Beyond Bars is VAMHAR's specialized program providing peer support, crisis stabilization, and supported employment services for Vermonters returning from incarceration.
Camp Daybreak is a recovery-focused camp initiative supported by VAMHAR as part of their comprehensive community engagement and support services.
Me/2 Orchestra is an innovative musical program supported by VAMHAR that brings together community members through the healing power of music and artistic expression.
