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Adolescent Behavioral Disorder and Substance Abuse Treatment
After the assessment process is completed the individual will begin group treatment if indicated. Avenues' group size is small (no more than seven teenagers from ages 13-18) and is co-facilitated to ensure individualized care.
Involvement in the adolescent behavioral disorder and substance abuse treatment program requires group participation at Avenues for 1 ½ hours twice per week. Groups will run for twelve weeks and will be "closed", meaning that all group members start and finish treatment at the same time. Upon completion of the 12 weeks, assuming all treatment goals have been met, clients will be presented with a certificate of completion.
The core structure of our program is the following weekly group therapy elements:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Element
Teaches adolescents that our thoughts influence and drive our feelings and behaviors, as opposed to external things, like people, situations, and events. Patients benefit from learning that we can change the way we think in order to feel / act better, even if the situation does not change.
Psychoeducational Element
Assists teens in accomplishing the following:
Anger management
Appropriate use of boundaries
Emotional regulation
Distress tolerance
Understanding the criminal conduct cycle
Values and moral development/understanding and practicing empathy
Identity exploration and emotional intimacy
Recognizing past and present self-defeating patterns
Basic communication skills
Drug abuse and addiction education
Substance abuse and dual diagnosis connection
Relapse prevention
Identifying triggers and high-risk situations
Process Element
This less structured element of the program provides a place for members to work on interpersonal issues. Here teenagers explore the root causes of their behaviors and substance use and learn skills to tolerate dissatisfaction and disappointment without engaging in destructive action. Adolescents begin to become conscious of what is going on in themselves, how they are interacting with the group, and how the group is functioning as a whole.
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