Marijayne is the mother of a family in which several people are in long-term recovery. In 2006 while attending Alanon meetings, she met many parents who, like herself, were seeking support to manage their experience as parents of addicts. In 2007, she learned of a newly formed Support Group in Plymouth Meeting, which had started specifically to guide family members like herself.

While attending these meetings, she found many families who shared similar experiences. She felt the group was very informative and helpful and gave her a community to seek compassion and guidance.

Over the past 15 years, Marijayne has continued attending these meetings, becoming a group leader and dedicating herself to giving back to other parents with children in active addiction and recovery.

Although her role, as well as the names and faces, may have changed many times over during her lengthy tenure, her love for what has become a continuously growing community remains a constant in her life.

From the beginning of her family’s journey in 2004, Marijayne has been eager to learn more about substance use disorder and its impact on family systems and the individual mental health of family members walking alongside someone in addiction/recovery. To this end, Marijayne has sought out and participated in educational programs for family members available through numerous treatment centers, including but not limited to the Hazelden-Betty Ford and Caron Treatment Centers.

As a single parent raising four children, she is deeply grateful for the support of these programs and communities. And so, she has decided to use this experience and knowledge to benefit families facing similar challenges. Accordingly, she has now earned several certifications in the Addiction and Mental Health field.

She is a Certified Family Recovery Specialist, a Family Support Group Leader for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and a Family Connections Leader. She is also certified in Motivational Interviewing and CRAFT, a technique to support significant others in guiding loved ones towards seeking recovery and as a Parent Coach for Partnership to End Addiction.

Throughout her career as an attorney, Marijayne has always been motivated to help others. Her work in addiction and mental health is a natural extension of her desire to help improve the lives of suffering families. Using her lived experience, training, and love as a beacon to lighten the load and light the way, she hopes to ease their suffering as others once did for her and her family. 

email:  teamwenk@gmail.com

phone: 610-608-8528‬