Behavioral Health
Robin Monson-Dupuis, LCSW
Psychotherapist
Aurora Behavioral Health Services
Prescription drug misuse is a growing issue in almost every county across Wisconsin and substance abuse is considered by many to be one of the top health issues challenging these communities.
Robin Monson-Dupuis has helped countless people get through life’s most challenging moments. As a psychotherapist and substance abuse counselor at Aurora Behavioral Health Services, she has spent more than 25 years helping patients manage behavioral health challenges.
Yet she never thought her own family would be impacted by addiction.
In the summer of 2008, following her son Ethan’s junior year in high school, he was prescribed an acne medication. Some of the rare medication side effects included mental health challenges such as depression, psychosis and suicidal thoughts. Ethan’s family believes this triggered his addiction battle.
As Ethan entered his senior year, his habits changed and he began abusing prescription drugs and even cough medicine to get high.
He went through numerous treatment programs, but his addiction to opioids continued to be challenging.
In December 2016, after an eight-year battle, Ethan died of an overdose.
Monson-Dupuis and her family created the Ethan Monson-Dupuis Opiate Recovery Fund to help addicts access treatment. They helped organize a fundraising run called Ethan’s Run Against Addiction. They also formed the Greenfield chapter of the Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing support group.
The family has raised more than $85,000 in Ethan’s memory in 2017 and 2018.