About Us
We offer hope, support, and advocacy to others through sharing our personal experiences living in recovery from mental illness and/or substance use disorder.
Our Mission
We believe that hope is the driving force of recovery; therefore the mission of SC SHARE, a mental health organization, is to promote recovery principles delivered through the effective use of peer support for all people suffering from mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or co-occurring disorder.
Our Vision
SC SHARE works to provide quality peer support in South Carolina and in doing so, envisions a society where recovery is understood, promoted, and embraced, and where all who seek support services delivered by peers have access to the support, care, and resources people need to achieve long-term recovery.
Our Story
South Carolina Self-Help Association Regarding Emotions (SC SHARE) is a non-profit organization, founded in 1985 by a small group of forward-thinking individuals, staffed by people with lived experience, whose mission is to offer education, hope, and support for those struggling with mental illness, emotional challenges, substance use, or co-occurring issues.
Just a few years ago, promising options for those with psychiatric problems were virtually nonexistent, but because of the pioneering advancements promoted by agencies like SC SHARE, recovery has become an attainable lifestyle for many individuals with mental health, substance use, or co-occurring disorders.
In their extensive research, SC SHARE found that no simple, uncomplicated introduction to the basics of recovery principles existed for mental health peers. For years, however, the substance use field had operated from the assumption that everyone was capable of recovery, so SC SHARE borrowed from the successes in that arena to design their own unique plan.
In 2001, these efforts culminated in SC SHARE's development of their "signature" program, known as Recovery for Life, Helping Others Help Themselves, which advances the belief that people with mental illnesses can and do live meaningful lives in recovery.
The same year Recovery for Life was written, SC SHARE also began collaborating with the state's department of mental health to develop a peer support concept that would enhance the effectiveness of mental health services already available. Their methodology was modeled after the nation's first peer-support program to be introduced by mental health professionals.
That program went on to be administered by the South Carolina Department of Mental Health for the next ten years. Since its beginnings, hundreds of Peer Support Specialists have been trained and certified through this program.
SC SHARE works to provide quality peer support in South Carolina and in doing so, envisions a society where recovery is understood, promoted, and embraced and where all who seek support services delivered by peers have access to the support, care, and resources people need to achieve long-term recovery.
SC SHARE continues to pioneer new advancements in the recovery area, focusing its advocacy efforts on providing policy makers, service providers, and the public with relevant information and resources designed to increase awareness and advocate for the evidence-based practice of peer support.
