Clinical Programs

The Clinical Programs Unit is dedicated to providing a complete continuum of care for clients involved in Ada County Juvenile Court.  ACJCS Clinical Program staff are experienced and highly qualified to provide group, individual, and family counseling on a vast array of issues that juveniles may face.   It is our goal to evolve to meet the needs of our clients and their families and to assist them by providing support and linking them to resources in the community.

Substance Abuse Services

It is the goal of ACJCS Substance Abuse Services to provide a complete treatment program for substance abuse.  Our programs are designed to meet the needs of the individual client by linking him with services and programming that are appropriate for his needs.  The programs listed below are examples of the services we offer in our commitment to support the youth in our community in their fight against drugs and alcohol.

Residential Services

ACJCS Residential Treatment Services is based out of the Ada County Juvenile Detention Center.  The Residential Program is an intensive eight-week substance abuse treatment program occurring Monday through Friday.

Residential Treatment includes:

• weekly individual counseling with a qualified professional.
• daily educational groups covering topics:
  • thinking errors and cognitive exercises
  • addiction
  • physiological effects of all psychoactive drugs.
• intensive family group processes to help develop appropriate familial support.
• academic component facilitated by a state certified teacher so clients may work on school credit, GED/HSE, or other academic pursuits.
• mandatory four-week case management component to assist the client once they have returned to the community.

Outpatient Treatment (Currently Suspended)

ACJCS offers weekly Substance Abuse treatment services on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 4:00pm to 5:30pm.

Services include:

• Individual counseling sessions, as needed, with a qualified professional.
• One educational group per week focusing on topics of relapse prevention, addiction, and physiological effects of substance abuse.
• Two process groups per week focusing on exposing addictive behaviors of clients, as these tend to be most adolescents’ relapse triggers.

Juvenile Drug Court

Juvenile Drug Court uses a combined approach to battle adolescent substance abuse and criminality.  Clients participate in all of the Outpatient Treatment Services as well as appear weekly before the Judge and the Drug Court Team.  This is a one-year program that clients may choose as an alternative to formal adjudication.  Benefits of this program include: charges being dismissed upon successful completion; maintaining a driver's license instead of a mandatory suspension; and the ability to participate in weekly programs through Parks and Recreation Department including activities such as rock climbing, kayaking, ropes courses, and more.  Intensive family involvement in this program means more parents are able to participate more fully in their child’s recovery from substances.

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Prevention

Ada County Juvenile Court Services has developed a comprehensive array of prevention programming designed to meet the needs of the juveniles involved in our Court system.  Our goal is to provide education to clients and their families through an interactive lecture format that provides research based statistical information about drug/alcohol use and its psychological and physiological effects.  In addition, the family component of our prevention services provides drug and alcohol education in combination with skill building activities that help families develop solid lines of communication.

Education Classes (Currently Suspended)

Drug/Alcohol Education:  This class is esigned to provide basic drug and alcohol education for juveniles ages 13-18.  Topics covered include basic drug and alcohol pharmacology and the psychological and physiological effects.

Parent and Child Education (PACE): This class is designed to help families gain a better understanding of family dynamics and communication. The development of strong family communication can assist parents in addressing issues of teenage substance abuse. Throughout this class, families are exposed to drug and alcohol education through interactive discussions and family activities.

Parent Project

The award winning Parent Project is a highly structured parenting skills program created to help parents prevent and intervene in the most destructive of adolescent behaviors. The nationally used program was developed over a period of seven years, working with thousands of parents of high risk youth. The Parent Project meets the specific needs of parents with strong-willed or out-of-control children, offering practical no-nonsense solutions to the problems parents face today. Sixteen comprehensive units of instruction lead parents from theory, to practice, to changes in the home.

Part One:  Laying the Foundation for Change

During the first 6 units, parents receive 18 hours of instruction in an educational setting. The Parent Project combines multimedia instruction, small group practice, problem solving and collective learning experiences to facilitate lasting change.

Part Two:  Changing Behavior & Improving the Parent/Child Relationship

After completing Part One, parents continue for up to 10 units in structured parent groups with trained facilitators. These topic-focused groups promote maximum effective use of group time while providing parents with practical and emotional support as they begin the difficult process of change.

Objectives:  With a balance of love and affection, discipline, structure, and awareness, parents will be able to:

*Effectively communicate love, affection, and expectations to their children.

*Create a home discipline structure that works.
*Improve school attendance and performance.
*Prevent and intervene in alcohol, drug, and gang involvement.

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Counseling Unit

The Counseling Unit encompasses domestic violence assessments, detention counseling and programming, diversion counseling, and individual/family counseling offered to juveniles involved in our Court System.  Detention counseling is offered to all juveniles who are placed in secure custody and express issues related to suicide, mental health, family, drug/alcohol, or other concerns that the juvenile would like to speak to a counselor about.  Referrals to community-based resources will be given to juveniles and their families upon the juveniles' release.  Groups are held several times a week with juveniles in detention addressing issues such as relationships, family, friends, peer pressure, abuse, and stress.

Domestic Violence Assessments (Currently Suspended)

The Counseling Unit provides comprehensive domestic violence assessments for families where violence in the home seems to be a factor in the juvenile’s behavioral or emotional problems.  The goal of the domestic violence assessment is to provide a complete picture of the family dynamics in order to create treatment recommendations that will address the problems and bring empowerment to the family.  All relevant family members are interviewed for the assessment, and collateral contacts are made as needed. These contacts include counselors, mental health facilities, or other sources of information that would help clarify the nature of the conflicts within the home.  Recommendations from the assessment may include services such as individual or family counseling, parenting classes, anger management classes, or drug/alcohol screenings.  Case management is provided by the Counseling Unit to not only help families find resources and implement the recommended services, but also to explore the process with the family to ensure that the services are meeting the intended goal of the assessment.  Through thorough assessment and intensive case management, the Counseling Unit aims to identify high risk domestic violence circumstances, create and enact an intervention plan, and support families as they gain the skills necessary to become strong and healthy.

Transitional Care

Ada County Juvenile Court Services offers short-term foster care placement for adolescents through the Transitional Care Program.  This program provides a sheltered environment for those youths needing time to transition back into their own home or the home of a relative.  Counseling, education, and other treatment services are utilized to return children home within a few months.

For more information on the Clinical Programs Unit, please contact:

Leslee Whiteman
Program Manager
Ph: 208.287.5612
Email: lwhitemanl@adaweb.net

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