Rosecrance Feature: Adolescent Residential Services
According to recent statistics, there are an alarming number of American adolescents trapped in the brutal cycle of addiction. While there are many different methods of treatment designed to help young people overcome their dependence on drugs and alcohol, experts say addressing a teen’s struggle with substance abuse means understanding the emotional, developmental, physical, psychological, familial, social and cultural factors involved in their addiction. Which is why the right residential treatment, one that provides responsive, personalized care through integrated treatment modalities can be very effective for adolescents.
“I think a comprehensive residential approach to treating substance use and mental health disorders is really important,” says Dr. Thomas Wright, Chief Medical Officer at Rosecrance. “I think it lays a foundation and a great beginning in the lifelong recovery that the teenager needs to do. I think it gives them the building blocks in the beginning to learn how they need to manage their own disease. Studies have shown good programs that treat substance abuse will always treat the teen as a whole person, looking at the mental health issues as well as the substance use issues and treat those at the same time in order to get the teen the best chance for recovery.”
Founded as an orphanage in 1916, Rosecrance has evolved into a national leader in addiction treatment dedicated to providing the highest quality care and the best evidence-based practice to treat substance abuse and mental health disorders. With 50 locations across Chicago, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, Rosecrance is a comprehensive behavioral health network serving more than forty thousand families each year.
“Rosecrance is a leader in the field of substance use and specifically for teen substance use disorders,” says David Gomel, President of Rosecrance, Inc. “Certain programs provide treatment and serve youth. Rosecrance serves youth. That has been our commitment for a hundred years and that gives us an edge above. We are advocates on a public policy level, we commit to treating the whole person as an individual, meet the individual where they are. Rosecrance provides evidence-based care and really pushes a long-term recovery effort.”
The Rosecrance Griffin Williamson campus is a residential setting offering adolescents comprehensive addiction services grounded in the foundation of the 12-step program. Understanding recovery requires a practical approach, Rosecrance offers individualized treatment individual and group therapy and an on-site school with licensed teachers. These programs and modalities are designed to respond to the specific needs of each patient and support lifelong recovery.
“A typical day for the adolescents in treatment is a structured day,” says Carlene Cardosi, Clinical Director of Residential Services. “They get up at the same time in the morning to give them some of the structure that they might be lacking in their life before treatment. During the day they go to groups about 40 hours a week. Those groups include educational groups where they learn skills to help manage cravings for substance abus,e education about substance abuse. They also do therapeutic rec groups where they get to go outside and play games, go to the weight room or do basketball and then process how do they feel during that. Do they get that passion that they might have been missing out during the substance abuse part. Then they do individual counseling with their therapists, group counseling as well. We also involve families as much as possible in their daily life. In 2018 our family satisfaction rate was 99% for adolescent treatment services and our adolescent completion rates exceed the national average.”
“I think Rosecrance programs are so successful because we have a passionate staff that is really interested and invested in these teenagers lives,” says Dr. Wright. “We're a nurturing, safe environment that will give the family and teen a great roadmap to recovery that they can continue to use long after they leave.”
“Recovery is really a journey; it's going to take work and it's going to take practice but it's absolutely obtainable,” says Cardosi.
“It's not a moral failure, it's not a parenting failure, it's not a choice, it's a physical disease that an individual has and we need to remove stigma, we need to remove our bias and propel people into recovery. By seeking the appropriate care, by seeking a provider that is based on science, is based on evidence, and has the heart to back it up, people's lives can and do get better,” says Dr. Gomel.
Everyone deserves to live life well in recovery. Learn more about Rosecrance; life's waiting.
For more information or to schedule a free consultation, visit www.rosecrance.org or call toll-free 888-928-5278.
