SAMHSA’s Investment in Young People: Building Trust Through Dialogue

2. SAMHSA’s Investment in Young People: Building Trust Through Dialogue March 14, 2013 Danielle Tarino Public Health Advisor Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Contact: danielle.tarino@samhsa.hhs.gov

3. Young People’s Networking Dialogue on Recovery at JMATE 2010 • December 13, 2010, Baltimore, MD • Purpose of meeting: • Provide a forum for young people to describe the challenges and successes of their own personal recovery that could inform elements of a new recovery-oriented system of care. • Provide young people with examples of opportunities to contribute as recovery peer mentors and advocates, including activities that address policy issues and systemic problems related to services and resources. • Identify and describe creative ways to effectively mobilize community-based resources to support youth recovery.

4. Young People in Recovery Conference • Association of Recovery Schools 10th Annual Conference • Case Western University, Cleveland, Ohio, July 20−22, 2011 • Purpose of this meeting: • Provide a forum for young people in recovery. • Discuss challenges and successes to inform elements of recovery-oriented systems of care. • Identify services and supports that young people believe are critical to recovery. • Instill a sense of optimism and hope to build the future for recovery-oriented systems of care that include young people. • Describe creative ways to effectively mobilize community-based resources to support youth recovery.

5. An Exercise in Leadership Activities conference attendees (young people) participated in: • Exercises in vision and mission statement building • Sentence completion exercises and exploring personal abilities and potential contributions to a young people’s “movement” (example on slide 5) • Creative expressions of vision using everyday products; young people were tasked with creating a picture that represented their vision of what a world of connected young people would look like • Building of Strategic Action Plans for a young people’s organization and/or “movement” • Discussion of potential successes and potential barriers that would arise in creating a national young people’s network of recovery

7. The Importance of Social Capital Lessons learned from the Young People in Recovery Conference: • The conferences and physical joining together of these inspiring young people in recovery were necessary to the development of trust, the exchange of ideas, and the identification of resources and experiences needed to sustain recovery in one’s youth • The journey of recovery is different for every individual young person, but there are essential common elements identified by the individuals that were considered indispensible to their success and growth as individuals and as a group

8. Identifying Success and Barriers in Recovery Through a variety of open dialogues and group exercises, the participants were asked to identify why they were successful: • Jobs and steady income • Recovery schools and school programs for students in recovery • School-based assistant services (individual/group therapy and referrals to treatment) • Drug court programs • Recovery housing/living with others in recovery • Family support and family education • Peer-to-peer support/fellowships (AA, NA, SmartRecovery, etc.) • Spirituality (altruism, community engagement, volunteer work)

9. Obstacles in Finding Recovery • Rules and regulations around seeking treatment without permission of a parent/guardian • Lack of available resources once treatment ends (“What do I do now?”) • Health insurance barriers • Undesirable living situations (e.g., absence of safe environments on college campuses, living with active users [peers or family]) • Having family members who are “enablers” • Friends who are not supportive of recovery • Stigma in community/misperceptions about being “too young to be addicted” • Having a felony record as a juvenile/young adult • Being pressured into treatment/recovery, scare tactics, empty threats of parents 

10. Principles of an “Ideal” Recovery System for Young People, According to Young People… • Recovery is viewed as attractive. • Awareness of recovery programs of youth is increased (i.e., a central/“official” repository of resources needs to be developed). • Recovery services are adequate and age-appropriate (i.e., “youth-focused”) to address the needs of this special population (“I do not want to be treated with old people.” – YPR participant). • Facilities designed especially for youth (youth-specific sober houses, treatment centers, and recovery schools). • Family education is strengthened and encouraged. • Communities are educated to understand and promote/empower people in recovery. • Alcohol/drug-free community centers/resources/organized activities. • Programs with attention to developing skills, education, resources to build a sound future with purpose. • Integrate recovery support services in high schools and college campuses.

11. Outside of the Conference Meetings • Ice breakers that highlighted goals, dreams, and aspirations lead to productive conversation and relation to one another • Telling each other’s stories of successes and failures in recovery • The development of their new relationships with one another from across the country was sustained through Facebook, email, and conference calls • The work they started with SAMHSA was able to continue within the group to the eventual formation of multiple groups that still represent young people in recovery today

12. Thank You • Questions or comments? • Contact Danielle.tarino@samhsa.hhs.gov Phone: 240 276 2857