Caron Foundation Provides Student Assistance

For 60 years, Caron Treatment Centers have been assisting residents in Berks County and beyond with addiction issues. The world-class treatment center, one of the largest and oldest in the world, was founded by Richard J. Caron, a businessman who resided in Berks and was in recovery himself. Based in Wernersville, Caron offers programs that are both gender- and age-specific, starting at age 12 and available even at age 80 and up. Locally, there is also Caron Counseling Services on Park Road in Wyomissing. In addition, Caron runs treatment centers in Florida and Texas.

Outside the centers, Caron offers various community programs including its Student Assistance Program (SAP). In 1990, Caron opened its adolescent center. “At this time, we also felt it was important to explore what we could do on the front end to serve children prior to needing the services at the center,” explains Tammy Granger, Corporate Director of Student Assistance Programs. So the same year, in an effort to focus on prevention, education and intervention, Caron launched SAP in Berks County.

The program is designed to identify children at a young age that may have a need for assistance because of a barrier, not just one that’s drug-or alcohol-related. A parent, a teacher or another student may notice that behavior has changed, that a student’s grades are slipping, or that he or she may have a new set of friends. SAP connects the student to potential services that are needed.

Beyond Berks

Today, SAP is offered in 15 states as well as in the nation’s capitol, with the assistance of approximately 60 employees. While there is not currently a national mandate to provide programs like SAP, in Pennsylvania there is. Caron’s services are available and provided within all 18 Berks County school districts as well as at private and parochial schools. SAP also aids area colleges and universities if needed. Some districts have an SAP office where someone is always available. Other districts provide SAP on an as-needed basis, two to three days a week. Some districts have a full-time SAP Coordinator, and Caron complements what is done within the district. While funding from the state has decreased, the need for SAPs continues to grow.

Caron begins providing assessments at 5th grade. “Around that age we see a higher need as students begin to transition to junior high and then high school,” says Tammy. “We do an assessment after we have a parent’s permission.” A Caron staffer comes to the school and conducts a comprehensive behavioral health assessment. The staff member then makes a recommendation to the family and to SAP staff at the school. Some mental health issues can be identified early enough to allow positive change for a student. The Council on Chemical Abuse provides the funding for the assessments.

Many Levels of Support

Some assessments may result in students not meeting the medical criteria for outpatient services, but they still may need more information and support in order to make healthy choices. Caron provides drug- and alcohol-specific groups for these students. The group helps teens understand addiction and its risk factors. “We have a no-use message, and we are firm that no one under age 21 should use alcohol,” says Tammy. It teaches teens how to exercise the skills they have learned on a Saturday night when all their friends are drinking. The program is interactive, not just a lecture. Students work together in small groups.

Some students may participate in a psycho-education support group, which is helpful to those who may have never received much-needed assistance. The group provides non-clinical support for anger management; dealing with grief over a change in the family such as the separation or divorce of parents; adoption; the loss of a loved one; and other general teen issues. The groups teach teens how to manage their challenges as well as navigate other social issues.

For those identified as needing additional support, Caron can provide the necessary treatment. Caron Counseling Services serves 900 people a year locally, and many are students that will benefit from outpatient care. Others do need an in-patient stay. Caron works with families to find the appropriate treatment.

The family is obligated to pay for outpatient counseling and inpatient treatment. However, during the 2012-13 fiscal year, Caron provided scholarships for 71 patients totaling $1,625,582 (the average scholarship per patient is $22,895).

Some students may require 31 days of treatment and others four months. When the students return to school after treatment, an SAP staff member is in the school to assist with the transition. “We are not an AA sponsor, but we provide an engaged adult to help through the process of recovery,” explains Tammy.

Other Businesses Join in Support

While programs are available for students in grades K to 12, Caron’s involvement usually begins around the second grade level. Through PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies), supported by Wells Fargo, Caron provides eight weeks of curriculum that helps children identify their emotions, like anger and sadness, and manage these emotions in order to act appropriately. Why is Caron teaching social competency skills? “Those children who are able to manage emotions and social skills tend to have less of a risk of drug and alcohol abuse,” Tammy explains.

Kids of Promise (KOP), generously supported by the Neag family, is for children who have been impacted by a loved one’s addiction (parent, grandparent or sibling). KOP is available to every child in Berks who needs it in a small setting within the school. Students receive vital support, learn to positively cope with their environment and establish healthy boundaries and decision-making skills for the future. Each summer KOP offers a five-day camp in conjunction with Olivet Boys & Girls Club. The camp offers swimming and other activities while meeting the needs of the children, all at no cost.

The new Medical Abuse Program, funded through Carpenter Technology, began this year. Tammy explains that when looking at current trends, a major issue on the rise is that of prescription drug abuse. The abuse can occur easily, for example when a student athlete is injured and is prescribed pain medication or when wisdom teeth are removed. There is also a strong connection between prescription drug abuse and heroin use. Prescription drugs are expensive, and heroin is much less expensive, but it provides a similar kind of high. The program’s objectives are to increase awareness of the prevalence of adolescent medicine abuse; educate students, parents and faculty on the signs, symptoms and dangers of medicine abuse; provide healthy alternatives; and offer resources related to medicine abuse.

SAP has served 25,000 students in Berks County (more than 70,000 students throughout the country), assisted with 1,500 parent interactions, works with more than 2,500 professionals and completes 800-1,000 assessments locally each year.

To sit on an SAP team at school, one needs training. Caron is state certified and provides professional training for SAP staff within the schools. SAP teams include administrators, teachers and guidance staff. It is a great resource to have the services free and available in the school setting. Nothing is included in a student’s academic record for utilizing SAP, which provides the first step to a solution in a challenging situation.