The challenges of treating teens

Below is Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet's response to an article posted on TIME.com questioning the effectiveness of adolescent drug treatment (see "Does Teen Drug Rehab Cure Addiction or Create It?" June 16, 2010). Read his response and let us know what you think in the comments.

Maia Szalavitz presents a provocative criticism of adolescent drug treatment in America and questions admissions policies that lump teens together regardless of individual circumstances. This is an anathema to good treatment, which should always start with a careful assessment of the severity substance abuse has and its impact on the teen’s behavior at school, at home, and among his or her peer group. Teens should ideally be surrounded by those who are at similar levels of disturbance, whether in outpatient or residential treatment.

If Szalavitz had expanded her article to include interviews with adolescent treatment providers, she would have found most agree that 12-Step programs are not ideally suited for teens. Messages of powerlessness are too easily interpreted by adolescents as passivity, which is a disincentive to adolescent drive, and because their religious and spiritual identities are just forming, they are typically too immature for the 12-Steps’ adamant calling.

Family therapy must be the crux of adolescent drug treatment and in a large therapeutic community (TC) such as Odyssey House, we have developed programs that combine family and individual therapy with group treatment. Group work is important however – if not critical – because of its constructive impact on teens’ success, as positive peer pressure replaces negative peer demands. Teens who follow the rules, pursue their education, behave respectfully towards others and authority figures, and subscribe to an accepted social and moral set of principles are placed in positions of authority and emulated by the group.

In sum, quality improvement pertaining to adolescent drug treatment incorporating group work must continue. So let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

THIRTEEN honors Odyssey House residents at GED graduation

Eight Odyssey House residents participated in THIRTEEN's annual GED graduation ceremony on June 22nd. More than 120 graduates from THIRTEEN's GED adult education program were honored at the ceremony, which was held at the Scholastic Auditorium.




Speakers included Dr. Ellen Bergman, superintendent of Mt. Pleasant Blythedale Schools; NYC Councilmember Robert Jackson; Jann Coles from the NYC Department of Education; and Paul Kim from the Mayor's Office of Adult Education.

THIRTEEN is a flagship station of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) for New York City offering unique cultural and educational programming, including GED Connection.

Ribbon cutting officially opens new supportive housing program

A ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday marked the official opening of Park Avenue, our new supportive housing program in East Harlem. More than 100 Odyssey House employees, supporters and community members attended the celebration, which featured speeches by Adolfo Carrion, Regional Administrator, US Department of Housing & Urban Development; Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet; and New York State Office of Mental Health officials Michael Newman (Director, Bureau of Housing Development & Support) and Caren Abate (Assistant Housing Director, NYC Field Office).

Mr. Carrion, a former Bronx borough president and a longtime proponent of supportive housing, thanked Odyssey House for "helping people live their lives in more productive ways," a sentiment echoed by Park Avenue tenant Jack C., who said the program has given him the opportunity to improve his life. Jack, who has struggled with depression and substance abuse for many years, called his new home his "oasis." He continued, "For the first time in a long time, I know better days are ahead and I'm optimistic for the future."

See earlier posts for more information about the program. Check out photos of the building and ribbon cutting ceremony on Flickr.

Park Avenue ribbon cutting: Wednesday, June 23rd

Odyssey House will officially open Park Avenue on Wednesday, June 23rd at 10 am. Adolfo Carrion, Regional Director, US Department of Housing & Urban Development, will be on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Open for occupancy since March, Park Avenue is a new 50-unit, single occupancy building for men and women with special needs. The building provides a supportive, independent living environment for individuals who have overcome many life challenges, including mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, and homelessness. The tenants have all completed treatment for mental illness problems and are able, with minimal support, to live in community-based housing.

The building has a number of amenities designed to allow tenants to live independently, including a well-furnished gym, laundry room, multi-purpose meeting room, communal dining room, and lounges on each floor to encourage socialization. The landscaped backyard features an art installation by the Odyssey House Art Project, "Becoming Whole," which explores life's journey of discovery from infancy through adulthood.

The project was developed by Odyssey House with capital and operational funding from New York State Office of Mental Health and capital from low-income housing tax credits. The land was acquired from New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development through ULURP. The building was designed by Urban Architectural Initiatives and built by Rende Contracting Corporation.

Photos of the building, including the art installation, are available on Flickr. Read about the construction of the building here.

OHTP debuts "When You Shake the Tree"

The Odyssey House Theatre Project returned to Broadway last weekend with a new ensemble and a daring original play. An ensemble comprised of Odyssey House teens, directed by PossibleArts artistic director Tom Demenkoff, performed "When You Shake the Tree," at the Studio Theatre on 42nd Street. The play was written by the teenagers during a three-month theater immersion workshop. The project gave them an opportunity to find their voices, flex their bodies, and open their minds through improvisation, playwriting, music and art.

Exposed to an intensive program similar to the training process of a professional ensemble, members of the Odyssey House Theatre Project embarked on a journey of self-discovery and creative discipline. The result is a bold new play that takes a fresh perspective on trouble at home. Broadway star Norm Lewis, who mentored the teens, called the play "a vibrant shake up of family life: the secrets, the hurts and the feelings."

The workshop was funded by a generous grant from the Elizabeth and Barets O. Benjamin Foundation. For more information on the project, including a blog chronicling the teens' journey, visit the Odyssey House Theatre Project website.