Outpatient Adolescent Treatment

SouthLight, Inc. offers periodic outpatient treatment to adolescents. In treatment, adolescents learn to modify behaviors in order to make better decisions and abstain from drug and alcohol use.

Adolescent users differ from adults in many ways. Their drug and alcohol use often stems from different causes, and they have even more trouble projecting the consequences of their use into the future. However, like adults, adolescent substance use effects others in the family in negative ways, creating crises that require reorganization across the entire family system in order to insure effective recovery. At Pathways Counseling Center, we address this dilemma by offering family focused treatment interventions, beginning with an initial assessment that includes the parents.

Still, we acknowledge that in treatment adolescents must be approached differently than adults because of their unique developmental issues, differences in their values and belief systems, and environmental considerations (e.g., strong peer influences). At a physical level, adolescents tend to have smaller body sizes and lower tolerances, putting them at greater risk for alcohol-related problems even at lower levels of consumption. The use of substances may also compromise an adolescent's mental and emotional development from youth to adulthood because substance use interferes with how people approach and experience interactions. All these circumstances and variables are considered in the assessment process and in the development of an individualized treatment plan. That plan may include the following elements:

• Individual Therapy
  We provide some adolescents with individual therapy, by need, as determined on the entrance assessment.
• Family Therapy
  We focus on family relationships and communication. Effort is directed toward reorganization within the entire family so that interactions are more satisfying, and all members are empowered in the decision making process.
• Multi-Family Therapy
  We provide a unique approach to family intervention that combines traditional family therapy in a group context, providing opportunity for families to learn from the experiences of others and find support in making needed changes.
• MAJORS Program
  We provide a long-term substance abuse treatment program for adjudicated juvenile offenders and their families.
• Community Support Services
  We provide services which assist with accessing community resources.

For an appointment, contact us at:

SouthLight : Pathways Division
2809 Highwoods Boulevard, Suite 103
Raleigh, NC 27604    map