Support
Living with a child who is battling substance use disorder can be traumatic for the entire family. Kacie’s Cause offers free support groups for family members facing the many challenges families of addicted individuals face. These groups are run by trained professional counselors or volunteers who have walked the road of parenting a child battling substance use disorder (addiction). For more information about these programs check out our support group section here.
Information for Parents
The Department of Drug & Alcohol Services of Chester County has provided us with The Family Help Book: A Family’s Guide to Addiction and Recovery Resources in Chester County. To check out this great resource for families in our area click here. This resource is highly recommended for all parents.
Our friends at The Partnership to End Addiction and The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids provide a wealth of tools to help parents help their children who are suffering from Substance Use Disorder. One model recommended for parents to use when trying to help their children is Community Reinforcement & Family Training (CRAFT) described in the video to the right. CRAFT is a support model designed as an alternative to the NarcAnon model. Kacie’s Cause does not recommend any particular support model but advocates for the position that there is no one approach that works for every family.
Help at School
The State of Pennsylvania requires all public schools, including charter schools, to provide Student Assistance Programs (SAP). SAP is designed to assist in identifying issues including alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a student’s success.
The primary goal of the Student Assistance Program is to help students overcome these barriers so that they may achieve, advance, and remain in school. If you are concerned that your child is experiencing difficulties related to substance use or mental health issues you may want to reach out to the student assistance team at his or her school.
Student assistance teams usually include educators and community professionals that are trained to gather information about your child’s behavior and make recommendations to parents.
The student assistance process is confidential and requires parent permission. It may be required by some schools if a student violates the school’s drug & alcohol policy. If you are interested in referring your child to the student assistance team, contact the SAP team leader, his or her school counselor, or the school principal.