PSAN Recovery Speaker Series – Michael Siena’s Recovery Story

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Michael Siena will talk about his recovery story followed by an in-depth description of his work within the Metro Boston Recovery Learning Community (MBRLC) over the last ten plus years. He will cover working on the Peer Support Line as well as working at the Boston Resource Center, giving details of the tools, resources and challenges involved with working in both settings. At the end of the talk, he will go over some things he learned over the years working in the MBRLC and as a person in recovery.

About Michael Siena

I grew up in Connecticut and moved to the Boston area in 1994 to go to school at Tufts University. I left Tufts during my junior year in 1996 due to depression but returned and graduated in 2004 with a degree in philosophy. I have battled mental health challenges ever since that first depression in college and continue to do so.  After a lot of work on my recovery, I have a full and satisfying life today. I try not to let my mental health challenges interfere too much but I still struggle at times. However, I continue to experience personal growth through recovery, as well. I enjoy many pursuits including skateboarding, snowboarding, hiking, reading, writing, connecting with friends and family and watching basketball. I have been working as a peer specialist for about ten years and feel grateful to have a fulfilling job. I am also pursuing a recovery coach
certification. Life, recovery and mental health are still difficult a lot of the time but I work on my recovery every day, reaching out for support, using coping skills, putting one foot in front of the other and seeking to overcome my challenges. My story is not one of triumph but of perseverance.