The Changes Program provides a range of Alcohol and Drug Services, including Prevention, Early Intervention and Outpatient Treatment, through several service delivery models. The services provided may include: primary prevention activities, community awareness presentations, peer-support development programs, substance misuse assessment; brief counseling intervention; intensive individual treatment; referral and case management within the addictions/mental health system of care (detox, outpatient, concurrent disorder services, residential treatment, support recovery); A&D awareness, life skills and harm reduction group series; aftercare planning and support services. However, the type of service provided to individual youth is individualized and matched according to the client’s needs and preferences, and/or may correspond to specific admission screening criteria or the referral source.

The Primary Prevention Services are provided through the Middle Schools of School District #23. Therefore, the youth served will be attending area Middle Schools. Most youth will be served through classroom or group-based presentations. Youth may self-refer, or be refered by school personell, parents or other professionals, for screening and individual brief intervention, if a youth is identified as being at-risk of problematic substance use. If the primary Prevention Worker believes an individual youth requires Early Intervention counseling services or Outpatient Treatment services, the Worker will refer to a program Youth Addiction Counselor, with the youth’s consent, for further assessment and intervention. Primary Prevention Services will include:

• awareness building and education activities which are interactive in nature and involve students in the development and implementation
• providing education to peer counselors (where they exist) and/or developing peer based models to provide a vehicle for information to the broader student body and identification of students who may require intervention
• providing education to the broader school community (teachers, support staff, parents) with respect to substance use and activities that can build resiliency and reduce risk factors for substance misuse
• developing and implementing strategies to support youth to build age-appropriate life skills and social competency

The School-based Early Intervention Services are provided on an outreach basis, primarily through High Schools across School District #23. Youth may self-refer, or be refered by school personell or anyone in the community, if the youth is attending a (Middle or) High School in the District and is identified as being at-risk of problematic substance use. The program Youth Addiction Counselors will provide assessment, service planning and referrals within the addiction and youth services systems as required to meet the needs of referred youth. Early Intervention services will include:

• Screening and identification, brief intervention, and/or referral for individual students who are misusing substances
• The level of intensity and types of interventions provided for individual youth will match the strengths, needs/risk-levels, abilities and preferences of youth referred. Therefore, the services provided may be single-contact information and awareness sessions, group-based skills-development services, brief intervention services of several sessions, through to intensive outpatient treatment services (see below).
• Services to youth requiring and consenting to a series of brief intervention sessions, will include a brief screening/assessment and the development of a brief intervention plan, with goals that have been established in cooperation with the youth.
• Group-based services may be provided for youth that have been identified at risk, promoting age-appropriate developmental skills and developing awareness of the potential impact of problematic substance misuse.
• As the level or intensity of services increase to meet the identified needs of youth, the approach and services provided will increasingly resemble or become those of the Outpatient Treatment services, below.

The Outpatient Treatment Services are provided for any youth aged 12 to 18, that is either attending an area ‘regular’ school program (and requires more intensive services than the brief Early Intervention Services) or is identified as a young offender and involved in the Youth Justice system; and is experiencing difficulties in relation to their substance use. Youth involved with the Youth Justice system are served by a designated counselor in the program. Youth or parents may self-refer, and referals may come from any professional in the community, for youth that meet the criteria above. Outpatient Treatment services will include:

• The program model will represent a bio-psycho-social-spiritual perspective. A Harm Reduction approach in addressing health care and other personal issues will be provided as appropriate to the presenting needs of individual youth.
• The type of service provided to youth will be ‘matched’ to their strengths, needs, risk-levels, abilities and preferences.
• An individualized treatment/service plan (I.S.P.) will be developed for each youth admitted to the program. The treatment plan will demonstrate integration and coordination with other involved, or appropriate, community services.
• The treatment approach will be holistic, integrating interventions designed to improve the youth's functioning in the contexts of self, family, peer group and community.
• The treatment approach will support youth in the development and enhancement of their strengths, interests and abilities; to assist them in addressing the personal challenges they are experiencing.
• The treatment approach will utilize educational interventions which will enhance the youth's understanding of the impact of substance-abuse on their lives, and build practical life-skills which will diminish reliance on substances to meet developmental needs.
• The program services may be modified, in approach and delivery, to improve access to and the impact of program services to youth with disabilities, including providing the services on an outreach basis.
• Services will be provided in a youth-friendly and safe environment, or on an outreach basis as needed to meet the needs of referred youth.

Referrals for youth requiring access to any of the services provided by the Changes Program may be facilitated by contacting our office by phone: 763-2977, and asking for a Changes counselor or Program Director; or by using the Contact us Link above.