Some of the good things that group therapy has done for individuals in a drug treatment center are:

Provides hope

Shows that others have experienced the same things

Gives advice

Shows that one can receive good things by giving

Provides a group format to discuss family issues

Learning behaviors through watching others

Two important professional issues to consider are to make sure that the clients are informed about the group process and therefore have given an informed consent and to emphasize the importance of confidentiality.

The following is our menu and shopping list for Sundays drug treatment extended care community meal.

French Onion Soup w/ baguettes and melted swiss
Caesar Salad
French Bread
Swiss Cheese melted on top
Vanilla and Choc Shakes
Brownies

Taking into consideration there is a certain budget, the community stays within that amount.  There were extra onions at the RTC that were donated.  The clients prepared the Soup in advance.
We believe that no matter what culture, religion, or part of the world you are from, the best way to build a family is to break bread together.  Every Sunday our sober living community - that are transitioning into the real world after their Utah drug rehab stay - come together and make a meal with the help from everybody.
On Saturday or Sunday the drug treatment center community designates a few folks to go shopping:

Shopping List:

2-Bagquetess, ask bakery to slice into small slices
2-loaves of French bread
2# Grated Swiss Cheese
2 bags of chopped romaine
1-14 oz bottle Caesar Classic dressing
1 gallon of Choc Ice cream
1 gallon of Vanilla Ice cream
1 small bottle of choc syrup
1 box of croutons
1 small bottle of Parmesan
1 gallon of Milk

New Roads chef Robert Soria and clients of the drug treatment center went door-to-door beginning last week, selling cheesecakes and then delivering the finished product the next day. Soria supervises baking the cheesecakes at the facility kitchen. Proceeds from the dessert sales go to the New Roads Foundation, where the money will fund treatment scholarships for young adults who cannot afford it.

"We're getting tremendous feedback," Soria said. "We do make a very, very nice cheesecake."

Soria and four to six clients go out, sell the desserts then return to New Roads kitchen and make cheesecakes to fill those orders. They box the cakes and deliver them in person. They've filled 55 orders in the last few days. The clients were hesitant to approach potential customers at first, but warmed to the task after they made a couple of sales.

"The patrons are overwhelmed and surprised with the quality of the cakes. They were wowed by the taste of the cakes," Soria said.

New Roads cheesecake bakers will take orders from anywhere in the county.

"As long as I'm given 24-hours notice, a physical address and a phone number, I'll deliver," Soria said. "The clients are resourceful."

The cost is $15.99 for a whole strawberry, chocolate or New York style cheesecake. Orders can be phoned in to (801) 669-5860, faxed to (801) 669-5849 or e-mailed to robert@newroadstreatment.com. The cakes will be baked and delivered this week.

Food vendors donated most of the ingredients. New Roads LLC pays the clients' salaries and the cost of remaining materials. Profits from the dessert sales go to the foundation, which covers costs at the treatment center for young adults who cannot pay.

Soria has been in the culinary business all his adult life, after graduating from a culinary institute in California. Then he worked with a kosher master chef and ultimately went to corporate restaurant work and began consulting and traveling. Most of his work was done in the Middle East, including opening a Pizza Hut in Gaza. But it's gone now, he says.

Soria is the facility chef and teaches culinary arts to residents. Clients are paid for their work in the kitchen and as they become more proficient their salary is raised. Like the many of the New Roads management, Soria lost a child to heroin addiction. He knows treatment and follow-up isn't enough -- the clients must leave their old roads behind and take new healthy roads.

New Roads Treatment Centers were conceived by a group of Utah business leaders who had seen firsthand the ravages of addiction on their loved ones. They organized to provide affordable, effective treatment to young adults.

Jordan Harmon, CSW
“I have found it of enormous value when I can permit myself to understand another person.” – Carl Rogers (1902-1987)
Carl Rogers’ work in developing what he came to call the Person Centered Approach has impacted me greatly as a therapist, a husband, a father, a friend, and as a person in general. The philosophy that guides my practice and hopefully my life is the powerful idea that understanding and accepting one’s self and one another is the basis for healing and growth.
Though I utilize a variety of therapeutic interventions in my practice I find that the most effective intervention is that of fostering a therapeutic relationship. Such a relationship allows those involved to experience genuine empathy, acceptance, and unconditional positive regard.
I earned a graduate degree in social work from the University of South Carolina where I emphasized in individual, family, and group therapy. During internships there and since that time I have been fortunate to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds and in a variety of professional settings. In my practice I have provided therapy for those suffering from the following issues: addiction, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, effects of trauma, relationship difficulties, anger, grief and loss, and managing chronic mental illness.
Though these issues can be overwhelming for individuals and families I have consistently been reinforced in my belief of the resilience of the human spirit and the reality of healing. I find great satisfaction in growing as a person as I am privileged to join with others who are on their own path of growth.

As support staff, counselors, therapists, or directors, there are a number of factors that are issues in the treatment of addicted young adult professionals.  It may not be a huge difference in a larger picture, but many times successful recovery and sobriety lies  within the details of a specifically designed and carried out treatment plan.

A drug treatment team must have a nondiscriminatory attitude as part of its culture.  This must also come from the client culture as well.  This culture will be conducive to gaining knowledge of the responsibility as a counselor and as positive peer member.  Addiction treatment for professionals requires a high level of competence and legal and moral standards from the directors down to the trenches of support staff.

With confidentiality issues weighing heavy on the mind of a young adult professional seeking treatment from drug addiction it is important that a drug rehab facility understand the sensitivity of this subject.  Confidentiality of clients is made a priority so that other important issues can be focused on as well such as interpersonal relationships, trauma, or family dynamics.

Some advice for our clients in young adult drug rehab is that although you are planning for your future using a variety of life skills, it is still necessary to take it one day at a time therapeutically.  Planning for the future and staying in the moment is not a simple lesson to learn.  Through effective addiction treatment, life coaching, and peer counseling it can be achieved over a period of time.

It is always important for this young adult population to keep moving forward while in drug treatment.  Whether they are learning new skills or trades or furthering their education, keeping momentum going for real life can have an empowering effect on a client in structured rehab facility.

One of a more common issue drug treatment centers see in individuals is a dual diagnosis assessment.  This co-occurring disorder diagnosis is a mental health disorder along with a substance abuse disorder.  Not all drug treatment centers have the ability to take on these types of individuals.  A common mental health disorder occurring in drug rehab clients is Bipolar Disorder.

Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse Disorder co-occur in about 61% of those with Type I bipolar and 48% of those with Type II bipolar. Subgroups of the bipolar population have are more prone to Substance Use Disorder like men, those with rapid cycling, and those who are diagnosed at the typical age of onset (between 20 and 30)

Some significant issues this population faces are in regards to medication management, effects of current and past drug use on medication interactions, and poor treatment adherence. Also there is an increased risk of suicide, increased health concerns due to medication, and lack of appropriate research for this specific subgroup.

Relapse bipolar symptoms are another problem because of the increased risk for discontinuance of treatment, suicide, and substance abuse when this occurs. Even with medication relapse rates of bipolar symptoms are as high as 40% within the first year, 60% within two years, and 73% within five or more years. Medications such as anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and antipsychotics are prescribed to help deal with the symptoms.

Current research suggests that the most effective form of recovery at a drug rehab center is integrated treatment. This is when recovery and relapse prevention from both disorders is taught simultaneously, usually involving group therapy and psycho educational groups. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been shown to be an effective modality to use in integrated therapy. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy also has shown promising results in helping decrease symptomology of both disorders.

Treating young adults presents many different challenges that are always common with adult treatment. Counselors must remember that young adults are continually developing psychologically and they have not reached the level of understanding their feelings and emotions in the way that adults are capable of.  The most important thing that occurs in young adult drug treatment is the change in perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors that revolve around addictive chemicals. The young adults must come to understand and recognize that they have a problem and develop tools of recovery. Unlike adults in treatment, young adults must focus on understanding their identity and who they are as well as building life skills and emotional regulation.

Some of the most difficult aspects of treating young adults are helping them understand they have a problem, getting them to communicate, and making them comply with the rules. One of the most successful treatment approaches is the therapeutic community. Clients hold their peers at high level of accountability giving the treatment team leverage, providing for faster behavior modification. The TC model teaches the client self-discipline and how to delay gratification. Love, support and trust are crucial parts of helping the client grow. Once they feel genuine love from the drug treatment team, the young adult will start to take a look at themselves and work towards sobriety.

Interpersonal

Interpersonal issues include focusing on healing relationships and restoring an atmosphere of love and trust.  In recovery individuals are encouraged to find a higher power, love others and themselves.  If one of these areas is neglected they will be vulnerable to relapse.  These issues need to be resolved by building relationships one on one with significant others.

Personal interventions are another way to take a look at who you are as a person.  Family work, grief work, assertiveness training, dispute resolution, and personal relationship building are areas interventions can be effective with.

Working on yourself and the role with family members both immediate and extended leads to a better understanding of triggers and builds a strong support system.  Many times grief is a strong underlying issue in young adult drug treatment.  Individuals can cover up long standing difficult emotions and feelings and need to address them to stop the abuse.

Communication skills are an area that consistently needs improving with individuals in young adult drug rehab.  Learning how to be assertive and express yourself in healthy ways is one key to recovery.  Learning how to confront constructively is another.  Both these areas are key components of building strong, sober relationships.

Grief in Drug Rehab

Many drug rehab centers in Utah are dual-diagnosis cable and can address a variety of different mental health disorders along with substance abuse or chemical dependency in treatment.  Often times individuals will be showing symptoms of grief, stress, depression, or other mental health issues but are not fully diagnosed with a disorder.

Individuals finding themselves self-medicating with drugs or alcohol during the unresolved grief process need to talk about it to move on and accept the reality of their loss.  Substance abuse treatment centers can focus on this as an underlying issue towards the abuse in both individual and group therapy settings.  There are many assignments, role-plays, and other processes to assist foster this growth.  Both good and bad memories need to be shared as well as discussing events prior to, during and after the event or loss.

Utah drug rehab centers provide an effective place for individuals suffering from grief to gradually adjust to a new environment.  This may include coming to terms with living alone, managing finances, learning to do chores, facing a new empty house, and changing social relationships.  They need to begin to withdraw emotionally from the loss, reinvest in new relationships, and acquire new interests to fill the void left behind.

Individuals in the grieving process need to be reassured that they have a program full of caring peers and staff, which fill the need for trust and friendship.  They need to see what was lost accurately, with all the positive and negative qualities.  The individuals who see only the good things will not work through the grief.  These individuals need to develop new relationships in the program.  They need to be encouraged to increase their social interaction with their treatment peers.