Coalition Newsletter

MATTERS OF SUBSTANCE

For many years, the Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) of Youth Focus has provided residential treatment services for adolescents in Guilford County. If there is one universal truth that has come of this history, it’s that no program is an island unto itself. From the various referral sources – the case managers, court counselors—and the detailed client work-ups that are provided prior to admission and to the collaboration with the Guilford County Schools who continue to provide a self-contained classroom for these clients separate and away from existing school campuses, the importance of community collaboration in the successful treatment of these adolescents is clear. As an example of both this joint effort and the ability of Youth Focus to bring to bear several of the agency’s programs to serve our clients, we present this case study.

Our ASAP client came from a family that was both culturally and socially isolated due to their economic and family beliefs. This family of five children, a grandchild, and a single mother all lived in a two-bedroom apartment. The oldest male child was only fourteen years of age when he presented for treatment with substance abuse problems, family discord, drug/gang-centered peer group identity, and truancy. Over the course of several years, he gradually assumed his role in the family as “the man of the house.” This presented problems immediately upon admission, as he did not understand that he had to follow certain rules and was not responsible for everything or everyone in the ASAP program. His family also had a strong history of substance abuse and violence. His story is not unlike many of the young men and women we encounter in the program, but his was extraordinary in that he had an especially strong family connection. He is both bright and extremely empathetic, and this played into difficulties he encountered distinguishing between his problems and those of his families and friends. He was our class clown and adroitly used this skill to take the focus off his issues.

After four months of residential treatment, which included one relapse during a therapeutic leave, this young man—now fifteen—completed treatment and made a momentous decision that violated his belief that he had to care for his entire family and be the bread winner. He made the decision to pursue a foster care placement rather than going home following his treatment. This decision came about after multiple therapeutic home visits where he noted that caring for his family was more than he could handle without doing drugs or “hustling” to make money. Once he reached this decision on his own, and with his mother’s tentative consent, our agency’s therapeutic foster care program explored matching him with a foster family. His mother, though skeptical, gave her written permission for foster care with the understanding that she was not giving up her parental rights, but did want her son to have the best care. This was both a difficult decision for the client and an unselfish decision for mom – one that did not come easy and required much therapeutic support. A good part of the support, individual attention and success this young man enjoyed while in treatment at the ASAP school transferred to the high school he went on to attend where, thanks to much hard work, he made A’s and B’s and was permitted to join the wrestling team. At the same time, he continued weekly therapy in the Youth Focus counseling program to work on his issues with being the ultimately responsible/codependent person. Our young man is now able to set goals for himself and is less impulsive as it applies to his recovery, family, and friends. One of his goals is to remain in foster care until he graduates from high school and to attend college to further develop his artistic skills. This young man has an artistic talent and was encouraged to use it while in treatment as well as pursue it as a college major.

He now sees a bright and promising future instead of a life of drugs and gang involvement. However even this positive outcome was possible only after much hard work on the part of many different people and agencies, which suggests that sometimes it takes a village….. and then some!