I Want to Change the World for those with Substance Use Disorders

Myranda “Ary” Bryan graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 as a neuroscience major. But she was most drawn to her ongoing study of addiction in one of U-M’s neuroscience labs. She applied to PhD programs in neuroscience, but at the same time she was developing an interest in substance use disorders.  She worked with U-M’s Collegiate Recovery program, run by School of Social Work alumnus Matt Statman (MSW 2010).

Matt brought her to Ann Arbor’s Dawn Farm Spera Center on West Huron Street. He told her, “You can come here and volunteer any time.” Ary recalls, “Sitting in the Dawn Farm director’s office I thought, I want to do what she does, be a social worker and have that feeling of fulfillment. I got connected to more social workers and I found out what they did. They encouraged me. They thought I’d be good at social work and that my values lined up with social work values.” So Ary applied here for her MSW. “I read about the Integrated Health Program. I applied and it all fell into place.

“The Integrated Health Program lined up with my interests and background. I had worked as a patient companion. I would listen to people’s stories and just be with them. People are very vulnerable in health care settings. The Integrated Health Program would help me continue that work of being with clients in those moments and helping them toward wellness. And I looked forward to being part of an interdisciplinary team, because health is so much more than the physical body.

This winter Ary traded Ann Arbor for doctoral study at the University of Utah School of Social Work, where she will be doing Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) with Eric L. Garland, PhD, LCSW. MORE integrates mindfulness training, “Third Wave” cognitive-behavior therapy, and positive psychological principles into a strategy for pain management. Ary hopes to exploit MORE’s potential for treating substance use disorders. “I want to improve how we tackle substance use, especially now, with the opioid epidemic,” she says. Ary wants to continue research with MORE, and establish a private psychotherapy practice. “That would be a dream situation,” she says, “informing my knowledge base as a therapist from a social work perspective.”

“I will always be grateful for how positive my experience was with the Integrated Health Program,” Ary says. It was so special to have this group of us with similar interests, supported by a small group of faculty. this program drives home that health is more than just the physical body. It really equipped us as social workers to deliver great care.”