LOWELL — Riverbend and Lowell High School have entered into a partnership to provide substance use programming to students with a focus on both education and substance use prevention.
The partnership will put a Riverbend clinician on site at LHS to facilitate clinically structured support groups focused on substance use, where the students can meet weekly after school for one hour to give them a space where they can have an open discussion in a positive, supporting environment and share their experiences and concerns around substance use disorders.
“We are thrilled to partner with Riverbend in providing addiction education and support to students, aiming to create a positive and lasting impact on their well-being,” said LHS Student Support Coordinator Sue Zielinski in a statement April 17.
In a phone call Tuesday, Zielinski said Riverbend approached LHS earlier this year to offer the partnership, and it has started being offered slowly, as optional programming for students who experience addiction themselves or feel the impacts of it through a loved one going through addiction. Right now she said there are fewer than 10 students participating in a single group, but they hope to expand it as word spreads among the student body and more students join.
“Statistics show that early intervention and education in teens with signs of addiction lead to positive impacts on their mental health and quality of life as they enter adulthood,” said Riverbend Director of Ambulatory Services Shaun Bries. “That is why we are so excited about this opportunity to partner with Lowell High School and work with these students.”
Bries said in a phone call April 17 students were often being suspended from school for things like drug use or possession, but there was no treatment being offered as part of the process. While planning and training faculty took some time, the actual programming began in March, Bries said.
“At the end of the school year, we will convene together to talk about additional opportunities,” said Bries. “We are already hearing from middle school leaders who want to try this as well.”
The programming for students suffering from substance abuse themselves will be centered around what is known as the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach, which is designed to treat adolescents and young adults.
Bries said it is a 16-week program, 14 of which are just the student, while the parents or loved ones of the student join in for two weeks. Throughout the program, they will talk about high-risk choices when it comes to substance use, the dangers of using multiple substances at once and alternative activities besides substance use the student can engage in to change their trajectory.
The program for students whose loved ones face substance use disorders will be centered around mental health, processing trauma and healthy coping habits. Bries noted the program is still very much in the early phases, but they have done targeted outreach to students and have spoken to student ambassadors and engaged them in the recruitment process.