Since 1991, ACS’ Adolescent Substance Addiction Treatment Program (ASAT) has been providing professional assessment and outpatient treatment services specifically designed for youth struggling with substance abuse and/or addiction. ASAT is a harm reduction outpatient treatment program for adolescents that addresses the underlying causes of use/abuse, along with encouraging abstinence and healthy lifestyles. Services are provided in English and other languages, based on counselor availability.
Unique, Individualized Approach for Adolescents
The Adolescent Substance Addiction Treatment Program offers a tailored approach, ensuring that our experienced and highly trained clinicians deliver the best program to fit the particular needs of each family. Treatment plans are individualized from start to finish with every client and focus on:
- Family Participation and Education: Clinicians strive to incorporate parents and families into the treatment program, helping to increase trust and communication in the family and re-establish clear and healthy roles for parent and child.
- Counseling: During one-on-one counseling sessions, teens work with their ACS counselor to set treatment goals, build accountability, develop essential coping skills, and learn about underlying issues contributing to their substance use.
- Support Groups: Psychoeducational groups for teens and their caregivers that offer families a structured support system and valuable healthy coping tools.
Caregiver Process Group
Wednesday 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM on Zoom
This ongoing process group is open to all parents and caregivers of adolescents in the Bay Area who are currently struggling with substance use. Enrollment is open and attendance may vary from week to week. Group facilitators will help caregivers process difficult emotions and experiences related to parenting teens who are engaging in potentially dangerous substance use behavior. Group will be a place to develop increased insight into emotions, other internal processes, and how to translate these into adaptive and effective behaviors related to coping, parenting, and relating with your teens. Group will also be a great place to find community and feel less alone when struggling with these topics.
Teen Process Group
Ages 12-17Thursday 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
in-person at our Redwood City headquarters
This adolescent ongoing process group is open to all adolescents ages 12 to 17 who are dealing with unwanted consequences from their substance use. Enrollment is open and attendance may vary from week to week. Group facilitators will help teens process their experiences related to substance use and find connection in shared difficulties. Group will be a place for teens to develop increased insight into their emotions and other internal processes, and to learn and practice adaptive and effective coping mechanisms. Teens may also learn more about themselves, why they engage in substance use, and how they relate and interact with others.
6-Week Caregiver Psychoeducation Group
This group is on hiatus
Wednesday 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM on Zoom
This 6-week psychoeducation group provides a unique opportunity for parents and caregivers of adolescents to connect, receive support, and learn strategies to help navigate the various challenges that arise when raising a teen. Caregivers will have the opportunity to engage, discuss, and learn about a range of topics focusing on how best you can support and care for yourself while strengthening family dynamics, and your relationship with your teen. Each week caregivers will learn new strategies and skills that revolve around a specific topic, such as mindful parenting, communication, boundaries, family dynamics, and reflect on how they might apply these new skills and strategies to improve their current coping and/or family functioning.
The Treatment Process: What to Expect
Each individualized treatment plan includes the following three elements:
- Assessment
An assessment is a 3-hour time commitment (conducted via a HIPAA compliant on-line platform during the shelter-in-place orders), or in person at other times. The assessment is divided into 3 one-hour sessions in which substance use specialists evaluate the extent of a teen’s use. Our intake process begins with an intake packet, where caregivers will be sent consent forms and questionnaires to complete. The intake packet will require approximately 30 minutes of time to complete. Assessments break down as follows:
Session 1 (1 hour)
The clinician meets with the caregiver(s). Family history, medical history, and current concerns are discussed.
Session 2 (1 – 1.5 hours)
The clinician conducts a confidential, one-on-one session with the teen where drug use history and other mental and emotional health issues are discussed.
*For in-person sessions, a urine analysis is conducted.
** For on-line sessions, the caregivers are provided the urine analysis kit and instructions, if they wish to have this conducted.
Session 3 (30 minutes – 1 hour)
The clinician shares a set of recommendations with both the parents and teen based upon information gathered in the first two sessions. Recommendations may include (1) ASAT services such as individual therapy, teen group therapy, parent support group, and family therapy, (2) a referral to a different ACS program if substance use is not found to be the focal point of treatment, or (3) a referral to a higher level of care with another provider.
- Treatment Options
ASAT offers flexible treatment options. Components of treatment can be scaled up or down to meet the individual needs of each teen, including court or educational requirements:
Individual and/or Family Therapy – Teens engage in weekly individual and/or family therapy along with weekly urine testing. Therapy length depends on each teen and family’s needs and/or progress.
Teen Relapse Prevention Group – A structured psychoeducational group providing valuable tools towards sobriety, including proven group treatment methods and homework assignments focused on relapse prevention and self-discovery.
Caregiver Support Group – A psychoeducational group that assists the teen’s caregivers in learning the skills needed to support themselves and their teens. Topics include education about substances, effective communication, peer support, and self-care.
- Aftercare
Aftercare is determined by the teen, therapist, family and ASAT Program Director on a case by case basis. Plans are developed to support a teen’s ongoing transition from being in treatment to successful completion of the program, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and working to achieve their goals.
Professional + Affordable
Adolescent Counseling Services provides thorough 3-hour assessments on a sliding scale. Referrals for substance abuse assessments that are made by participating school districts are free of charge to the family of the teen being assessed. Professional treatment plans and services are also provided on an affordable sliding scale. Services may include an array of individually tailored psychosocial assessments performed by trained clinicians when deemed appropriate.
Referrals
As a unique program designed specifically for teens, ASAT receives assessment and treatment referrals from a wide range of people who interact with youth including: parents, school administrators, law enforcement, inpatient programs, mental health professionals, and physicians.
To schedule an assessment or learn more about the Adolescent Substance Addiction Treatment Program, please contact the Intake Coordinator at 650.424.0852 x108