Adolescent Substance Abuse
Signs and symptoms of an adolescent in need of help:
- Addictive problems such as alcohol and drug abuse, food addictions, gambling, etc.
- Problems with authority
- Behavior problems such as negative attention seeking, aggressive behavior, stealing, lying, fighting, hitting.
- Dangerous risk taking, sexual acting out, self mutilation
- Chronic school problems, underachievement, learning difficulties, anxiety
- Excessive fears, worries, sadness, daydreaming, boredom, shyness
- Social isolation and low self-esteem
- Coping with divorce in the family, illness, loss and other major stressors
Adolescent Treatment Program
Realization Center offers several treatment planning options for adolescents. We offer outpatient services that include psychotherapy, support groups, alcohol and drug education, relapse prevention, anger management, meditation and stress management. The clinical staff at Realization Center is especially skilled in providing special attention to adolescents who are struggling with their own substance abuse as well as that of their parents.
Adolescents and Young Adults will be helped to cope with the anger, pain and shame in a safe, supportive setting. Treatment is accessible, personal and comprehensive because of the wide array of services and professional caring staff available at Realization Center. We believe we are meeting the needs of adolescents in the best way possible.
The developmental needs of adolescents represent a special challenge to addiction treatment providers. There is a quest to separate from their parents, join with peers and create a self definition to the teen years. However, when this process becomes immersed in the use of alcohol and drugs, development of a healthy sense of self is arrested. Adolescence can be a time of confusion, frustration and fear for many teens. Realization Center offers a continuum of services, which focuses directly on the specific needs of this age group.
Our after school program consist of therapy, recreation, education, homework assignments and skills management training. They will learn new coping skills to handle peer pressure and develop more appropriate ways to express anger. Through positive reinforcement, limit setting, role play and films, adolescents get the support they need to navigate this tricky road to adulthood Believing that recovery affects the entire family, participating in the Family Support Group for parents and caregivers is strongly encouraged.
The adolescent treatment program at Realization Center relies on the different skills of its multi-disciplinary treatment team to connect with troubled adolescents and their families. By using clinicians from various disciplines, the adolescents and their families have access to many different therapeutic styles.
Adolescents will be helped to:
At Realization Center an individual treatment plan is prepared for each adolescent based on the individual intake assessment, family involvement, school, feedback where applicable, and case conferences.
Depending on their unique needs, the client may participate in group therapy and individual counseling, from one to five times a week. Family members are expected to participate in the treatment process. The family program includes individual and group counseling, education workshops, co-joint therapy and referral to appropriate groups.
Family involvement in treatment is considered paramount in the treatment of adolescents. Parents are expected to participate in a weekly parent support group and attend multi-family groups.
Finally, Realization Center counselors recognize the varied support systems involved in adolescents lives. They work diligently to collaborate with all resources available in an effort to create a safety net of caring friends, family members and professionals.
Membership: 13-17 years of age, assessed as primarily gateway drug abuser with experimentation. Family involvement.
Focus: This is a core early recovery group for adolescents. This group will include psycho-education around basic addiction, recovery and relapse prevention concepts. It will also explore issues around individuation and separation from family and the behavioral influences of peer family groups. Client may also be required to attend Young People’s Relapse Prevention Group until sobriety is stabilized.
Note: Parent involvement in Parent Group is required. For more information, please see “Family Services” on this website.
Young Adult Group
Membership: 18-25 years of age, assessed as having some separation from primary family.
Focus: This is a core early recovery group for young adults. Basic psycho-education around addiction, recovery tools, and relapse triggers and prevention will be combined with process and identification of underlying issues. This will include independent living skills and individuation work. Client may also be required to attend Young People’s Relapse Prevention Group until sobriety is stabilized.