Substance program aims to heal the youth
By Jenna Wilson
More teens than ever are overdosing on drugs, leading a local agency to take aim at the problem with a program specifically developed for the youth.
The Family Guidance Center started a youth substance abuse program this summer that’s designed for kids ages 12 to 17 who are struggling with addiction. Counselors have seen success so far but would like to see more kids needing treatment get involved.
“I think a lot of people don’t know that we exist still, unfortunately,” said Martha Green, substance use disorder coordinator with Family Guidance. “But we’re still connected to the school, so we get referrals from the school and have been able to counsel and help those students combat any type of substance use or addiction they’re facing.”
When the program first started, it focused only on young people in Buchanan County. Now the outreach is expanding to the teens in Andrew County.
Those who are part of the substance use program receive individual, group and family therapies along with support and medication-assisted treatment.
“We have groups available Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5,” Green said. “We go to school and visit kids and we visit kids at their home if necessary. Our biggest thing is getting parents involved because when parents think about substance abuse, sometimes they think, ‘Well, my kid is not that bad’ or ‘It’s just marijuana, right?’ But if you have a child from 9 to 18 that is vaping or using marijuana, it’s not legal and can be concerning.”
Helping children through addiction is the priority for counselors but they also aim to help kids improve in other aspects of their life.
“I don’t want people to think that we just focus on substance use,” Green said. “We focus on school, getting into school, if they need help with their homework, helping them to learn how to communicate and how to process their trauma. We want to get to know the child as a whole not just about their substance use issue.”
For information about the program, call 816-364-1501 or visit the Family Guidance Center’s website at fgcnow.org.
