Drug and Alcohol Use Treatment

Cedar Ridge’s approach to drug and alcohol issues among the students here varies according to the client’s particular profile.  However, all students are asked to undertake specific tasks to address any drug and alcohol problems.  Most basic is the systematic way in which we use the “Fears Chart” to assist each client in identifying and working through unresolved issues such as hurts, traumas, grief, repression, etc. This approach is consistent with recent improvements in drug and alcohol treatment paradigms which now focus more on these deeper underlying factors. Environmental factors are known to trigger the cravings and use of drugs and/or alcohol caused by reactions to these unresolved emotional issues.

Students participate in individual therapy to address deep emotional issues, completing their own individual Fears Chart.  They attend workshops conducted by the program director, a licensed MFT, to understand the process for identifying and articulating their fears and avoidance behaviors.

AA and NA materials are used as deemed appropriate.  Primarily, the Cedar Ridge model is more cognitive-behavioral therapy, has a comparable degree of efficacy (compared to a 12-step program), and seems to work better with the teenagers who come to this program.