Coalition Member Spotlight

Alcohol & Drug Services of Guilford

Guilford County Department of Social Services has contracted with Alcohol and Drug Services of Guilford for approximately two years to provide onsite Qualified Substance Abuse Professionals to serve our Work First and Child Protective Service customers. We have two counselors who are full-time Monday through Friday at our agency. Allanda Edwards works out of our Greensboro office, and Ryan Wiese is in our High Point office. Funding for this initiative comes from the state specifically to serve the Work First/Child Protective Service providing early identification of substance abuse disorders that will affect the Work First consumer’s ability to secure and maintain employment and to provide referral and case-management services to this eligible population. They also serve the Class H or I Controlled Substance Felons applying for WF assistance and/or Food Stamps. The counselors assess and screen customers for substance abuse, identify appropriate treatment providers, develop service plans, refer customer to other community resources as needed, and provide ongoing case-management services. Over the past year, they have received 850 referrals from Work First, Food Stamp and Child Protective Service staff in our agency. After assessing these individuals, 163 were referred to treatment and 143 entered treatment. Having counselors onsite has greatly improved the level of follow-through for customers needing assistance, and the communication level has been enhanced between DSS staff, QSAP, and the customer, which has provided a team approach of caring and support for the customer’s success. The following situations are based on actual cases the counselors have worked with:

Allanda Edwards

There have been several success stories, but the one that made a huge impression on me was a single mother of three with a long history at Alcohol and Drug Services. This client had been through residential services and intensive outpatient services twice with limited success. When CPS referred this client to me, she initially missed two scheduled appointments and on the third appointment, she arrived with what could be construed as a “bad attitude”. This client was referred to our Women’s Intensive Outpatient Group. This client became very involved within the group, encouraging others, taking criticism and working on her own issues. She successfully completed the group and is no longer using cocaine or any other illicit substance. She has stable employment, is attending twelve-step meetings, and is being the mother that she always knew she could be. Her case has been closed, and she is now a positive contributor to society and a positive influence on others experiencing difficult times. This client is truly a success story.

Ryan Wiese

I can think of one particular success story that sticks out in my mind. This customer is a strong-willed 38-year-old single mother of two. Her first son was adopted because she lost her custody rights to the Department of Social Services for child neglect. When I met her she was working with the Child Welfare department, due to having child neglect allegations against her concerning her second son. This customer’s drug of choice is marijuana. She has been using marijuana on a daily basis for most of her adult life. During the assessment process she was very defensive, and even stated that she did not think she needed substance-abuse treatment. This customer had no support system, she was unemployed, had no self-esteem, and no motivation. I referred her to the women’s intensive outpatient program at Alcohol and Drug Services West. The women’s intensive out-patient program is an eight-week program designed to give women support while receiving treatment for their substance abuse issues. After two weeks of intensive out-patient, her attitude changed. She attended group on a regular basis, she attended her weekly check-in appointments with me, and she realized that treatment was a positive part of her life. She started to develop a positive support group, she spent her free time with her son, and her self-esteem increased. She completed group successfully and has continued to submit negative drug tests to her Child Welfare worker. In addition to completing treatment successfully, she is actively involved in parenting classes, and has a plan to obtain her high school diploma. As her outreach case manager, I was able to work closely with her substance abuse counselor and her child welfare worker to ensure that she received all the support she needed. As you can see from these cases, positive change has taken place. This has been a successful partnership for our agency but especially successful for our customers with substance abuse issues.

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