Teen Rehab Program for Drug & Alcohol Abuse
October 20, 2015
Teen rehab may become necessary when experimentation with alcohol or substances escalates to chronic abuse or full blown addiction. A specialist in drug addiction can diagnose the level of addiction and help parents find the most appropriate teen rehab for their loved one.
Underlying Problems of Drug Addiction
Elk River Treatment Program (ERTP) is staffed with licensed and experienced mental health professionals and among them, an alcohol and drug addiction counselor who specializes in working with adolescents of the residential teen rehab. The program was developed in 2006 to provide evidence-based treatment for adolescents with a dual diagnosis, or in lay terms, adolescents struggling with behavior, mental health and/or substance abuse issues. ERTP treats alcohol and substance abuse as a symptom of an underlying emotional or physical problem.
Upon admission to ERTP’s teen rehab, clients are evaluated based on their physical, emotional and mental health needs and an individualized treatment plan is developed for that client. “This isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment program,” said CEO and President Karen Lee who developed the program after experiencing her own child’s struggle with drug abuse. “From time to time we encounter parents looking for teen rehab with the preconceived notion that their child will be cured and they can pick them up in a couple of weeks. That could not be further from the truth. Our program is just the beginning of the recovery process,” Lee said.
Benefits of the Elk River Teen Rehab
Substance abuse affects many aspects of a child’s life including brain function and behaviors. Addiction must be treated as a life-long condition that can be contained, but not cured, Lee said. Many clients enter ERTP with a diagnosis of depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety when in reality drug use can mimic many mental health disorders. Once substances are out of the child's system and they're replaced with nutrition and daily exercise in the safe environment of a teen rehab, an accurate diagnosis can be determined and an individualized treatment plan can be developed by ERTP's multidisciplinary treatment team.
With daily individual and group therapy, teens learn the skills needed to maintain sobriety and replace negative behaviors (e.g. drug use, anger) with better coping skills (e.g. communication) to address underlying core issues.
A positive peer culture in teen rehab provides teens with plenty of practice to use their new coping skills. On-site and virtual family therapy led by skilled therapists provides the continuum of care necessary to achieve long-term success.
Other Assessment Tools
Initial assessment tools administered and interpreted at ERTP determining the course of treatment include, but are not limited to, the following empirically based assessments:
- Online intake application performed by parents/guardian
- Multi-Axial Diagnostic Inventory (Revised Edition)
- Adolescent Clinical Scale
- The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)
- Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventories (SASSI)
As needed, supplementary diagnostic tools are administered:
- Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for Adolescents (MMPI-A)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnostic Scale
- Conner’s Scale
- The Beck Depression Inventory second edition
- Juvenile Probation Officers Risk Assessment
Data collected is then evaluated and compiled and an individualized treatment plan is developed. An initial diagnostic impression is then formulated within the guidelines of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-V).
For more information about teen rehab at the Elk River Treatment Program, contact an admissions counselor by calling 866-906-TEEN (8336) or sending a confidential email to [email protected].
