Clallam County Juvenile & Family Services, the first Juvenile Justice Agency in Washington to have its own Adolescent Behavioral Health Treatment Program, has just been awarded a federal-state grant for a three-year pilot project for enhancement of treatment services.
The state of Washington (DBHR, DSHS, ADSA) submitted a proposal and won a grant from the federal agency Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for the piloting of an adolescent co-occurring conditions treatment model. True Star Behavioral Health, a division of Clallam County Juvenile & Family Services, submitted its qualifications and interest in participating in the grant project and was one of only two agencies in the state selected to participate.
The purpose of this funding is to develop a better and more effective treatment model. The new model will involve encouraging use of community resources and family participation in developing recovery-oriented systems of care for youth and families in recovery.
Recovering youth need places, activities and social support to replace their prior world of addiction.
True Star clinicians will be implementing and using two evidenced-based practices: GAIN (Global Appraisal of Individual Needs – bio-psychosocial) and ACRA (Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach).
In addition, intensive recovery case management is required. This project and model acknowledge that providers are moving away from treating addiction as an “acute condition” to developing a “chronic condition” approach.
While it is a $3 million/three-year grant for the state, the award is $250,000 per year for each of the two treatment agencies involved. The funding will be spent on progressive training, evaluation, tracking of data, coordinating family resources and support, and the hiring of two staff.
The grant funds may not be used to pay for treatment.
Pete Peterson, director of Clallam County Juvenile & Family Services, said he sees this as the culmination of the vision he always has had for addressing youth and family needs with a holistic approach.
“We do so much more than lock kids up,” Peterson said.
“We explore needs, problems, behavioral health, strengths and resources to envision ways that everyone in the community can be part of the answer.”
