If you’re a parent looking for a substance abuse treatment program for your teen, you like
many are in a crisis mode, without a lot to go on. It can be a very scary time and your needs are
immediate.
Only 10 percent of the estimated 1.4 million adolescents who need treatment receive it,
according to the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. When they do, it often isn't
targeted to their developmental needs. The fact that adolescents have different triggers than
adults for drug and alcohol use may not be addressed in treatment. And programs too often fail to
integrate two key ingredients: families and social services.
But there are plenty of good programs out there, and Action Family Counseling is one of them.
As a parent I know you are wondering how to go about finding reliable treatment for your teen.
So whether you choose Action Family Counseling Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs for
your teen or any one of a number of providers available, as you begin your search you want to
ask these questions.
What is the program’s success rate? How many teens actually finish?
This answer may be hard to come by since few programs track how their adolescent clients
fare after treatment. However a good treatment center will have a follow up system to at
least tract these clients 30, 60, and 90 days after they have been released from treatment, And
many programs such as Action Family Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs have programs
and resources for teens to continue a various treatment regimens as follow up to their initial
treatment.
How long is the program? How successfully does it keep teens engaged and enrolled?
Many experts flatly state that any program shorter than 90 days isn't worth the money or time
because it takes that long to begin to see a change in behavior. But it’s not that simple. What's
really important is not whether a program is 30 days or 90 days, but that treatment staff is able to
make a connection with your teen. When treatment staff become solid role models engage a teen
to practice newly learned skills, teens are much more likely to reintegrate back into their families
and communities.
Many parents ask will my teen ever have a successful life? But having a successful life is not just
the absence of drugs. Kids need something better than drugs, something to replace drugs. It could
be sports, academics, a different peer support group, a job, volunteering, a cohesive and loving
family.
Is family a big part of the program?
Every good substance abuse treatment model starts with a strong family component, including
therapy, to work to change to the home environment. We tell teen clients that we’re going to
get involved in every aspect of their lives. The family is key. If we're not in the home, we don't
understand what's happening. We're just looking at their lives from the outside in. Addiction is a
family disease and recovery is a family process. Rebuilding families is a key recovery.