In response to the alarming escalation in addiction, high-risk behaviors, and mental health disorders among teenagers, The Council on Recovery has assembled an all-star team for its Adolescent Services Program at the Center for Recovering Families (CRF) to confront those issues head-on.
The Adolescent Services Program team is led by Dr. Susan Delaney, an accomplished clinician with a deep background in mental health services for children and adolescents. Prior to joining The Council, Susan held key clinical positions with UTHealth and DePelchin Children’s Center that focused on trauma care, interventions, and counseling. In addition to her Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology, Susan also holds a MBA degree, which affords her a unique and valuable perspective on the business of delivering mental health services.
The team also includes Holly Suellentrop, LCSW and T.J. Lane, LMSW. Holly’s clinical experience is replete with crisis intervention, case management, individual counseling, and group therapy for children and adolescents. T.J., a U.S. Army Veteran, led a psychiatric hospital-based Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program (IOP) and also handled psychosocial assessments, individualized treatment plans, discharge planning, and case management. He is currently studying for a doctoral degree in Community Care and Counseling.
Together, Susan, Holly, and T.J. are tackling some of the most difficult issues facing adolescents today:
- Underage alcohol use, marijuana, vaping, and illegal drugs
- Misuse or abuse of prescription medications
- College high-risk behavior pressures
- Impulsivity or low empathy
- Technology overuse, abuse or addiction
- Sexting or sexual acting out
- Compulsive use of pornography
- Self-esteem or self-worth problems
Through accurate assessment and screening, and a thorough knowledge of available community resources, the team can readily refer adolescents and their families to a myriad of inpatient and outpatient treatment options. When outpatient therapeutic services are indicated, adolescents and parents are often referred to the Center for Recovering Families.
The Adolescent Services team at CRF provides a comprehensive range of services for adolescents and parents designed to prevent, mitigate, and treat the problems while healing the family. These services are anchored by the Mindful Choices program, a high-risk behavior course that is evidenced-based and research-driven. During this unique three-month curriculum, adolescents learn how high-risk behavior affects their growing brain, refusal skills, anger and peer pressure management, stress reduction, and family communication skills within a fun, interactive environment.
The team also facilitates adolescent psychotherapy groups that offer a more experiential and intensive processing experience for teens who struggle with high-risk behavior, co-occurring mental health issues, and/or behavior problems. Participants work on increasing social skills, self-esteem, and impulse control in a safe environment.
Because the Center for Recovering Families takes a holistic approach to treating the entire family, the Adolescent Services team provides integral services for parents of struggling teens. These include personalized parent coaching from masters or doctorate-level therapists and parent support groups that emphasize techniques to prevent or stop high-risk behavior and create lasting behavioral change. Conducted concurrently on weekday evenings with the teen programs, CRF’s parent services bolster the effectiveness of those programs by creating a supportive and understanding family environment.
The Adolescent Services Program also integrates individual, family, and couples counseling as an effective therapeutic approach to dealing with adolescent problems. During individual therapy, teens learn why they began using substances, what triggers their use, and new coping skills to deal with high-risk situations. Family and couples therapy empowers parents and other family members to have an assertive voice, and learn validation and behavior modification strategies to shape attitudes and behaviors. The outcome of this approach is to help heal the whole family.
The Council on Recovery’s Center for Recovering Families is Houston’s leading non-profit source of outpatient services for helping adolescents deal with addiction, high-risk behaviors, and mental health issues. The Adolescent Services team brings an eminently qualified group of solution-oriented clinicians to meet that challenge with empathy and compassion for each teen and their family. For more information call 713.914.0556 or visit www.councilonrecovery.org.