Mary Virginia “Gin” Monroe is a former teacher with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. Before retirement, she was employed by East Carolina Behavioral Health, now Trillium, for eight years as a recovery education trainer in nineteen counties. While at ECBH she became a Copeland Center Advanced Level Wellness Recovery Action Plan® (WRAP) Facilitator and trained and coached facilitators. Gin was part of a team that supported patients at Cherry Psychiatric Hospital to complete a wellness plan before being discharged to the community.
She is the lead developer of the curriculum, “Take Your Heart to Work”, one of North Carolina Peer Support Specialist trainings. She now owns the curriculum. Gin presently serves on the NC MH/DD/SA workgroup to develop and promote peer support in our state. She is a person with lived experience and has family members who have lived experience. She believes that everyone has value and that recovery is an individual ongoing journey. She believes that if a person is able to be resilient in his/her own wellness, they are able to develop the life he/she wants.