Successful treatment begins with a personalized plan.

All teenagers are different. When they are struggling with substance abuse, their treatment needs are different, too.

At the Center for Living, our trained staff is acutely aware of the particular needs of each adolescent and his or her family. That’s why we follow a well-defined, comprehensive process for ensuring troubled teens receive the right personalized treatment they need to return to a sober lifestyle.

Here’s how it works.

1) We receive a referral. A family member, school or other concerned party refers a teenager to us.

2) We schedule and perform an assessment. After we receive a referral, our clinical staff schedules and performs a complete Bio Psych Social Assessment, preferably within twenty-four to forty-eight hours.

3) We accept the teen into our program and develop a treatment plan. Treatment for each teen accepted into our program begins with the development of an individualized, comprehensive treatment plan. The plan reflects the goals and objectives that have been developed uniquely for - and in collaboration with - the teen and their family.

The agreed-upon plan provides a ready checklist and helpful working tool for staff, teens and their families. The plan lets them thoughtfully review their goals (e.g., full engagement in treatment, personal and emotional development, examination and redirection of personal values, educational and vocational development, health management) and to identify the changes they need to make in their lives to see a successful outcome in each area. The plan also helps teens monitor their own progress in each of the key sectors of life - personal, family, school and social - as they progress in their recovery and beyond.

4) We recommend a treatment track. Our staff is fully trained in an evidence-based assessment process that identifies specific treatment needs of adolescents. Based on the assessment results and the individualized treatment plan, our staff identifies and recommends one of three treatment tracks that is best suited to help the teen.

We offer three different treatment tracks: the Foundation Track, the Core Track and the Continuing Care Track.

• Foundation Track.
  The Foundation treatment track is for youths who have an identified pattern of unhealthy substance use that is causing disruption in at least one domain of their lives (such as self, school, family, social/environmental).
  
  Teens are considered for the Foundation track when substance use is accompanied by a drop in performance at school, learning disorders, a family history of addiction, oppositional or defiant behavior, depression, low self-esteem and/or an inability to initiate and maintain friendships with peers who do not use substances.
  
  This treatment track would not be appropriate, however, for a teen with a diagnosis of dependence or severe substance abuse.
   
• Core Track.
  The Core treatment track is for youths who abuse or are dependent on alcohol and/or substances and whose substance use is causing considerable disruption in all domains of their lives (self, school, family, social/environment).
  
  Teens considered for the Core track may or may not have a prior history of receiving treatment for their alcohol or drug (AOD) use.
  
  How long it takes: Teens enrolled in the Core track typically come to the Center 4-5 days a week for 2-4 hours a day. They usually complete the Core track in 6-8 months.
   
• Continuing Care Track.
  The Continuing Care treatment track is for youth who have completed the Foundation or Core treatment tracks at the Center for Living. It is also for youths who have completed an alternative treatment program (outpatient, inpatient, residential) and do not need the high level of support and monitoring our Foundation and Core tracks provide.
  
  Youth enrolled in the Continuing Care track have established stability across all domains of their lives (self, school, family, social/environmental).
  
  How long it takes: Teens enrolled in the Continuing Care track typically come to the Center 1-2 days a week for 1-2 hours a day. They usually complete the Continuing Care track in 2-6 months.
   

5) We assess and assist teens throughout their treatment. Our experienced clinical team assesses teens at the Center on an ongoing basis to track their progress. Throughout their treatment, we work closely and discretely with therapists, the teen’s school and family members to help the teen achieve mutually agreed-upon goals within an individualized treatment plan.

Our multi-disciplinary approach is designed to address not just substance use, but also the multiple factors - medical, psychiatric, social, developmental, academic, cultural and spiritual - that play a part in negotiating a healthy transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Teens at the Clinic also have a wide range of treatment services available to them. Learn more about our treatment services here.

6) We help teens maintain sobriety after they complete treatment. We understand that once sobriety and an appropriate life style have been achieved, maintaining sobriety is key to the recovery process. That’s why the Center places such a strong emphasis on sober socialization and creating an environment where activities that are both fun and sober can occur. Learning to rely on sober socialization in place of alcohol or drug-fueled interaction is an important part of continuing recovery.

The Clinic staff concentrates on helping teens learn to develop sober support networks and use the 12-step method. We help them find or create opportunities to engage in individual, family and group activities that are fun, challenging, healthy and completely sober.

The built-in flexibility of our treatment program ensures that all of our teens and families receive the most comprehensive, personalized treatment possible to help them reestablish healthy lives and habits.

Contact the Center for Living today and find out more how we can help a teen you know return to a drug-free life.