Family Court Substance Abuse Treatment      Hawaii Juvenile Drug Court

 

YMCA Outreach Services provides substance abuse treatment counseling to adjudicated youth between the ages of 12 and 18 who reside in the area from Waianae to Hawaii Kai, Kailua, Kaneohe, Mililani, Wahiawa and Waialua and who are using/abusing substances or who are at risk of doing so. Probation Officers refer youth to our program from the State of Hawaii Family Court, First Circuit Court. We have five counselors who provide services in the following areas: Windward, Central, Leeward and two in the Honolulu area. Once the counselor receives the referral, contact is made with the probation officer, the youth and the parent to interview the youth for a substance abuse assessment. The counselor then assesses the youth for an appropriate level of service and makes a recommendation to the court. Many of the youth are assessed at abuse for substances and recommended to outpatient treatment services that our counselors are able to provide. These services include individual/group sessions focusing on substance abuse education, social and life skills, relapse prevention and recreational activities. A follow-up contact is completed at 90 and 180 days after discharge from the program. Those youth requiring a more structured and higher level of care are referred to residential treatment. Our initial objective in these treatment services is to see how serious the potential client is about working on their problems. The YMCA counselor clearly describes what his role will be in the counseling relationship and what agreements the client must keep. The potential client is informed that during the counseling sessions, issues and problems being discussed may be painful or embarrassing.

The process of admission involves an AIDS assessment and a comprehensive drug use history and assessment. The counselor and the client ,using these tools as the basis of information, develop a treatment plan. Realistic short and long term goals are determined. An immediate short-term abstinence goal is agreed upon that will be the foundation to an overall goal of a substance-free life.

The course of treatment allows for the counselor to meet on a weekly basis for individual counseling sessions. This provides the client to discuss the treatment plan and problem areas in their life with someone who is willing to listen and support them in their goals. What develops is an opportunity to have an on-going relationship with a positive adult role model.

An early goal of treatment is to assist a client in stabilizing her behavior to the point where she is not living from crisis to crisis with her family, at school or from one Family Court hearing to another. This is when the counseling process can begin and it is this process that is truly the essence of the YMCA O.S. Now the work can begin between the client and counselor. Time is spent on problem solving, decision making, family counseling, and other activities outlined in the treatment plan. The process of change is initiated with the client showing them the control they can have over it.

Through the treatment process, YMCA O.S. counselors have observed many clients making a shift away from negative behaviors. At this point youth may drop some of their defensiveness and resentments and be open to take part in family counseling. This can be a slow process and not always successful. However, bringing clients and their families together so that they can begin to talk about their concerns, is one of the primary goals of individual treatment services.


Clients are expected to participate in positive social activities to experience a challenging and exciting time while in a clean and sober state. These skill building educational /recreational activities are encouraged to build rapport, to motivate and to reward. YMCA O.S. counselors plan beach outings, movies, hiking and sports activities as a way of positively hooking kids into the process of counseling. Every other month a Y-Friday night is planned which involves the whole agency and all counselors and youth are invited to attend a large structured activity. This evening has seen dances, arts and crafts and a resource fair to name a few of the events. These are well attended and youth have an opportunity to meet and make friends with peers from all parts of the Island in a positive drug-free environment.

Length of services will vary from client to client based on the intensity of his or her problems. Clients are generally in the program from 9 to 12 months.

                                                                                             
                                                                         

Hawaii Juvenile Drug Court
      

The Hawaii Juvenile Drug Court was established to provide comprehensive judicial and treatment services to juveniles and their families in a safe and warm environment that promotes accountability, respect, opportunity and personal wellness. The JDC is a eight month (minimum) post adjudication, treatment based drug court program for substance abusing non-violent, juveniles under the age of eighteen and their families along with six months of aftercare following graduation. Drug court services are combined with the multi-systemic therapy (MST) treatment model, and community based substance treatment program (YMCA). The JDC's guiding principal is that adolescents have a right to effective treatment.      

       
The YMCA outreach services is a community based program, where treatment services are provided at sites where the client feels most comfortable such as at schools, home or the park. The core treatment services provided are individual counseling, group counseling and skill building sessions. Other services provided include case management, crisis intervention, referral/linkage, consultation and family counseling. The Drug Curriculum, and Life Skills are the foundation of the treatment program. The program works with the client to evaluate his/her current situation and to assist in identifying positive behaviors, skills and attitudes that would be useful and productive in developing a drug free lifestyle. YMCA staff attempt to address the all-too-frequent loss of structure in the lives of these teens. The goal of the YMCA substance abuse treatment program is to support the efforts of youth in addressing substance abuse or addiction behavior, to provide support so they are able to remain drug free, have successful experiences in school, support a drug free life style through support and pro social activities, and to discuss family issues and concerns that may have contributed to problems at home. These services are matched to meet each of the clients needs.