Triad's Mission Statement

Triad Community Services provides comprehensive behavioral health services to children, adolescents, and adults, with a commitment to prevention, intervention, and treatment. Triad is dedicated to leadership, professional excellence, and community involvement. Triad staff collaborates with other resources to address the needs of individuals within the context of their families, workplaces, schools, and communities.

Triad's Background

Triad Community Services is a non-profit agency that has been providing outpatient treatment programs since 1984 Triad provides state and federal-certified drug treatment programs in Santa Cruz county. In addition, Triad offers on-campus student assistance programs in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. These programs, called "Triad-On-Campus," provide staff training, support and counseling services to at-risk children. Triad's clinical staff is composed of licensed psychologists, clinical social workers, and marriage, family and child therapists and their interns.

Information on the Handbook

This handbook is designed for the parents of children in Triad's Intensive Structured Outpatient Adolescent Program. The handbook explains Triad's philosophy of treatment, program structure, and gives detailed information on a variety of commonly-abused drugs. It also includes a Question and Answer section, which can address many of the questions you may be having. At the end of the handbook is a definition section, for special terms used in this handbook, and a reference section, filled with additional resources which you may find helpful.

We hope you find this handbook a useful resource during this time. Feel free to talk to us if you have any further questions or concerns that are not addressed in this handbook.

Triad's Philosophy of Treatment

2.1 Treatment Philosophy

Triad's primary mission is to help individuals break the cycle of psychological suffering by treating the underlying addictions and issues. Addicts are often attempting to manage psychological pain; by using drugs, they are attempting to alter their mind or change how they feel. By employing a variety of therapeutic strategies, your child's addiction can be treated with support and education.

The theoretical perspective from which Triad offers substance abuse treatment is a blend of the 12-step 'disease' concept and the more traditional psychodynamic developmental models. In conjunction with individual and family counseling, 12-step groups can help families begin the difficult healing process. Discussions in these settings help families to rebuild the trust and communication that is vital to healthy relationships.

2.2 Triad's approach to the adolescent program

Triad's approach to the adolescent program, in comparison to the adult programs, is very similar. The adolescent program makes use of 'expressive' activities, such as play music therapy. There is also a greater emphasis on stress management, as teenagers already are dealing with undeniably stressful transition from childhood to adulthood. Helping them learn to manage stress effectively helps them today and for the rest of their life.

2.3 Important messages for parents

Above all, be kind to yourself. Don't blame yourself for past mistakes. Forgive yourself for ways you may have let your child down; there are no perfect parents. Be a good role model now by showing your child how to heal and grow into a healthy adult.

Attend the weekly parent group. This demonstrates to your child that you care and that mental and physical well-being sometimes means depending on others. The weekly meetings also give you a much-needed chance to explore and express your own feelings and needs. It also allows you to understand family dynamics, learn new communication skills, and help ease tensions at home.

There are many ways you can support your child through the recovery process. Please read through this handbook for ideas and tips for making this time of transition a successful one.

Questions & Answers

5.2 How do I decide between an outpatient or inpatient program?

Choosing between inpatient and outpatient treatment programs is a personal decision involving many factors. Some of the issues to consider are:

1. The presence of serious mental or psychological problems. An adolescent suffering from severe anxiety, depression or other psychological problems may need around the-clock care. When we add these problems to the already difficult drug withdrawal process, the ability for dangerous, uncontrollable situations to develop is high. Your child's mental status should be assessed before any treatment begins. For more information, see 'Why is dual diagnosis important?' in the Question & Answer section.
   
   
2. The amount or likelihood of suicidal behavior. As part of the normal, often-frustrating experience of growing up, many adolescents experience suicidal thoughts or impulses. But when a child experiences or expresses persistent suicidal thoughts or behaviors, such that you or a licensed professional feels your child's life is in danger, inpatient programs can often monitor your child more closely. Discuss these issues with your child and with a mental health professional as part of the decision process.
   
   
3. The need to manage drug withdrawal in patients addicted to extremely high doses of heroin or amphetamines. Withdrawal is a difficult process for everyone. But when an adolescent is addicted to extremely high doses of drugs, the withdrawal process can sometimes become uncontrollably volatile. A child may become abusive, manipulative or destructive to the point that they require constant, professional, physical or psychological attention.
   
   
4. The need to monitor the detoxification (detox) process in patients who are physically dependent on drugs. Some drugs, such as tranquilizers, methamphetamine, and valium, create a physical (in addition to emotional) dependence within the addict. When an addict tries to stop using these drugs, their body can react by ----. In these situations, an inpatient program can allow for medical supervision as your child goes through detox, to ensure their well-being.
   
   
5. The influence of friends who do not support drug treatment. Sometimes, as an addict begins recovery, drug-using friends may offer free drugs or try to pressure the addict into drug-related activities. In this situation, an inpatient program may give your child the time and resources they need to recover and develop new behavior patterns.
   
   
6. Family situation and/or all of the above. People have different feelings, personalities, needs, attitudes and ways of doing things. This is why some adolescents are able to work through the recovery process at home, with the family, using an outpatient program. Other adolescents require more time apart for reflection, cooling off or unwinding, and do best using inpatient programs. Think about your child/parent interactions as you make this decision--and get your child's perspective, too.

Talking about these issues with a mental health professional is always a good idea. It will help you to make the best decision--for your child and for yourself.

5.3 Home Drug Testing -- Why the debate?

To begin with, home drug tests are not 100% accurate. Even in controlled, laboratory environments, false 'negatives' are common. Unfortunately, evidence of drugs within the body is often eliminated within hours of drug use.

But let's say you feel an immediate urge to check your child for drugs. You buy the test, your child takes it, and they test positive for drugs. What do you do next? In the moments after you get the results, how do you respond? How do you know if your child's results reflect a one-time/experimental use or if the results indicate prolonged drug usage?

The best solution for everyone is to get professional assistance. A trained mental health professional (therapist, licensed clinical social worker, psychiatrist) can evaluate the situation and determine what steps should be taken next. Your child may simply need more education about drugs or your child may need to be enrolled in a treatment program. And having psychological support, as you, the mental health professional, and your child discuss things, can help prevent escalation into a volatile situation. Being there with your child shows them that you love them and are committed to solving the problem, not creating new ones.

While a mental health professional is evaluating the situation, they should also be assessing your child's mental health, something also known as dual diagnosis. Dual diagnosis refers to the process of determining what physical or psychological conditions an addict is dealing with. For more info see 'Why is Dual Diagnosis important?' from the Question & Answer section.

5.5 Why is dual diagnosis important?

Drug addiction is a complex issue. It is not as simple as the presence or absence of drugs in your child's body; this is where dual diagnosis comes in. Dual diagnosis refers to the process of determining what physical or psychological conditions an addict is dealing with. Drug addiction happens because a person feels a need to change their physical or psychological state of being.

For example, some people use drugs to cope with a dysfunctional relationship and mild, as-yet-undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Or, a person may be suffering from severe depression as a result of an earlier traumatic event in their life. Therefore, discovering and dealing with these root issues (that led to drug usage) can help an individual break out of dysfunctional habits, behaviors, and coping mechanisms, allowing them to move on to a healthier state of being.

Dual diagnosis is most effective when done by a mental health professional. Dual diagnosis is usually done at the beginning of an addict's recovery process, when the drug problem has been recognized and the addict is entering a treatment program, or treatment is being considered.