Our Programs


NAVIGATING THE ADOLESCENT YEARS

A voluntary enrollment program addressing substance abuse, disruptive or high-risk behaviors and/or family conflict due to adolescent development issues

Navigating The Adolescent Years (NTAY) is a 90-day voluntary enrollment program for youth and families challenged with substance abuse, disruptive or high-risk behaviors and/or family conflict due to adolescent development issues. A student and his/her family must be facing one or more of the following issues:

  • Family management and conflict issues
  • Impeding staff at school
  • Fighting and anti-social behavior
  • Experimenting with substance abuse
  • Community referral and voluntary enrollment by family and adolescent

NTAY provides a safe environment and open forum where teens can learn and discuss life-impacting issues, including substance abuse, depression, anger management and more. It may also include individual and family therapy, GED and academic tutoring, art enrichment, community service and substance abuse monitoring. Parent classes will develop parenting skills and give families deeper understanding and new tools for navigating the teen years successfully.

 

 

 

DIVERSION

An alternative-to-sentencing program for youth struggling with substance abuse, disruptive or high-risk behaviors and/or family conflict due to adolescent development issues

Diversion is an educational and intervention program for teens who have received a legal summons and are struggling with one or more of the following issues:

  • Theft, Property damage
  • Impeding staff at school or harassment                                                                          
  • Fighting and anti-social behavior
  • Experimenting with substance abuse

Diversion requires 7 to 10 weeks of educational classes on substance abuse, anger management and social skills. It may also include individual and family therapy, GED and academic tutoring, art enrichment, community service and substance abuse monitoring. Successful completion of program requirements means that all legal charges will be dropped from a teen’s record.

 

 

 

PREVENTION PLUS PATHWAYS

An alternative-to-sentencing program for teenagers with more serious substance abuse problems

Pathways Plus Prevention is an educational and intervention program for teens with more serious substance abuse problems who have received a legal summons. Youth in Pathways usually are struggling with one or more of the following issues:

  • Self-reporting use of multiple types of drugs, alcohol, Spice or prescription drugs for a period of three to six months
  • Prior criminal history of using drugs
  • Sobriety difficulty
  • Family conflict within the home.

 Pathways Plus Prevention requires10 to 12 weeks of educational classes on substance abuse, anger management and social skills. It may also include individual and family therapy, GED and academic tutoring, art enrichment, community service and substance abuse monitoring. Successful completion of program requirements means that all legal charges will be dropped from a teen’s record.

 

 

 

IMPACT

An alternative-to-sentencing program for youth needing intensive supervision

Impact is an educational and intervention program developed for teens who have received a legal summons and are struggling with one or more of the following issues:

  • Multiple legal offenses (no sexual offenses)
  • Severe substance abuse issues with multiple types of drugs and strategies to use
  • Mental health issues (ADD, ADHD; depression)
  • Academic failure or close to being dropped
  • Youth has been using drugs/alcohol for longer than a year
  • Family conflict due to divorce and blended families

 The Impact program is six months in length and requires multiple variations of educational classes, individual and family therapy, truancy, work crews, substance abuse monitoring, cognitive parenting and youth support groups, and an intensive strengthening families curriculum for youth and parents. It may also include GED and academic tutoring and art enrichment. Successful completion of program requirements means that all legal charges will be dropped from a teen’s record.

 

Our Classes


Teen Perspectives

This 7-week program will explore the dangers of using illegal drugs and alcohol. The class will also address: Life Consequences and the Use, Abuse and Addiction; Facts about Chemical Dependency; the Law when using drugs and alcohol; Taking Risks; Consequences of Using; Alternative Solutions; Does using illegal substances have an impact on academics, home and employment and choosing the right friends.

Anger Management

ABC's of Anger, Bullying and Communication

The 7-week Anger Management Program is designed to provide a structured group format that can be utilized by the majority of young people who receive summons for assault and harassment offenses. It is the goal of the program to prevent further law infractions while upholding, and even strengthening, the dignity and self-respect of participants. The Anger Management groups are educational and are designed for youth who have received their first summons. The program provides a structured, cognitive behavioral group format. The primary focus is on anger management and how it affects behavior. The program is designed to help the young participants take responsibility for positive change in their lives by better understanding their own perceptions, attitudes and behavior.

Challenges, Choices and Change

Classes (10 weeks) are gender specific. A holistic educational approach is ensured by offering hands-on activities for young women who are demonstrating high-risk behaviors. This program will develop healthy decision-making, societal leadership, understanding violence and cyber-bullying safety. Class discussion helps girls understand the impacts of gossip and spreading rumors, makes girls conscious of their behavior toward other girls, helps them realize the destructive power of cliques and learn how to form more positive, supportive relationships with their peers. The class gives young women opportunities to systematically explore why healthy relationships are critical in their lives. In addition, each girl will learn how to focus on her individual needs, understand how to be safe in the world today, and strengthen her relationships with family, peers, community and society to transform the world she will live in.

Power Source

In the 10-week Power Source curriculum youth will be introduced to concepts, exercises, and numerous firsthand stories written by youth and explored in facilitated groups. As an 11-module program, Power Source provides prevention and early intervention and is designed to augment existing programs mentioned. The Power Source Program addresses the following topics: Techniques and strategies for impulse control, anger-management, stress reduction, and conflict resolution; high-risk behavior such as substance abuse, criminal activity, and gang involvement; and the resulting feelings of shame, grief, anger, and loss.

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Class Action Drug and Alcohol

 

This 12-week curriculum helps delay the onset of alcohol and drug use, reduces use among young people who have already tried it, and limits the number of alcohol/drug related problems experienced by young adults. Based on the social influences theory, this evidence-based, proven-effective program aims to change the social norms around alcohol use and to change negative peer pressure into positive peer pressure. This program is a highly interactive curriculum that helps teens see the real-world consequences of underage alcohol/drug use. Using casebooks and audio CDs, students are divided into legal teams to prepare and present hypothetical civil cases in which someone has been harmed as a result of underage substance abuse. The six Class Action cases include: Drinking and driving on Trial, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome on Trial, Drinking and Drugs Violence on Trial, Date Rape on Trial, Drinking and Vandalism on Trial, and School Alcohol/Drug Policies on Trial.

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Strengthening Families

This 12-week class includes three courses (Parent Skills Training, Youth Skills Training and Family Life Skills Training) taught in fourteen two-hour periods. In the first hour, parents and children participate in separate classes, each class led by two co-leaders. Parents learn to increase desired behaviors in children by using attention and rewards, clear communication, effective discipline, substance abuse education, problem solving, and limit setting. Children learn effective communication, understanding feelings, coping with anger and criticism, stress management, social skills, problem solving, resisting peer pressure, consequences of substance abuse, and compliance with parental rules. During the second hour families practice structured family activities, therapeutic cognitive family meetings, communication skills, effective discipline, reinforcing positive behaviors in each other, and jointly planning family activities. Incentives for attendance, positive participation, homework completion, and graduation are recommended. Family meals would also be served before each session, transportation, and child care all reduce barriers to participation.

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Cognitive Therapy Groups for Youth and Families

Multiple group sessions (10 weeks) are structured using a problem-solving approach utilizing both cognitive restructuring and social skills intervention. Participants learn basic cognitive skills which enable them to look at their thinking, beliefs, attitudes and values critically and identify errors allowing for positive cognitive restructuring.

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Alternative Learning - GED

Group and Individual GED Preparation and Testing

The Center’s GED program provides the preparation necessary to achieve GED.  Students are assessed in Math, Science, Reading, Writing, and Social Studies.  Each exam is approximately 70 minutes.  Their results are evaluated and lesson plans are put together based on their results.  Students who score below 75% are also given a Critical Thinking Skills assessment.  Students who score 75% or higher on their pretests proceed straight to official GED testing.

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Alternative Learning- Tutoring

Group and Individual Tutoring

The program offers individual assistance to students who have dropped out of high school, are at risk of dropping or are experiencing academic failure.  

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Enrichment - Focus on Art

Artistic projects such as painting, sculpting and tile-making enable students to express themselves, providing an emotional outlet that isn’t confrontational or alienating. Students build self-esteem and confidence as they grasp new techniques and complete projects.

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Enrichment - Creative Writing and Yoga

Creative writing will help students develop a means of self-expression while learning the elements of creative writing through various forms, including poetry and short fiction. Yoga will teach students the fundamentals of a balanced practice and give them a greater understanding of the link between the physical postures of yoga and the greater philosophical principles such as mindfulness and conscious living.

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Community Service/Work Crews

The Community Service Program will meet on Saturday for 6 hours. Students will be informed of the work involved, appropriate clothing and location. It is the student’s responsibility to bring a lunch and to meet the group leader at the designated location.

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Public Achievement/Work Crews

The Public Achievement Program will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 2 hours, and Saturdays and Sundays for 8 hours. Students will be informed of the work involved, appropriate clothing and location. It is the student’s responsibility to bring a lunch and to meet the group leader at the designated location.