Family Therapy Key to Successful Outcome for Santiam Crossing Students
The morning fog has yet to clear on the forested campus in the Oregon foothills of the Cascade Mountains. A group of students and their parents are involved in what appears from a distance to be a game of blind man's bluff.

One father is wildly gesturing to his son. Instructed not to speak, he is frustrated because his son does not clearly understand his hand signals. The son is to verbally communicate his father's message to his blindfolded mother who is tasked with finding an object placed 20 feet in front of her.

After lots of laugher, shouting, and at times frustration, Santiam Crossing Program Director Brian MacInnes asks everyone to form a circle. He then debriefs the experiential exercise. The parents and students discuss issues surrounding clear communication and the value of problem solving.

At Santiam Crossing parents play an instrumental role in their child's treatment. They participate in bi-weekly family therapy sessions via telephone and in monthly family weekends where they take part in parent workshops and family initiatives like the one described above.

"When parents address issues of family structure, communication skills, and parenting consistency, they are better prepared to support their child's personal growth and development," explained Program Director Brian MacInnes.

According to research results presented at the American Psychological Association's 2003 Annual Convention, including parents in interventions for adolescent substance abusers may be the best way to prevent them from relapsing after treatment.

Tamara Meisner, whose daughter graduated from Santiam Crossing in August said of her experience, "The therapy allowed us to talk about a lot of things in a controlled setting. There came a period of time where Ashley felt safe enough to talk about some traumatic incidences. I could really hear the progress she was making in the phone calls."

Today, Ashley is living at home and attending school. She is receiving straight A's in school and has exceeded her goal of attending 90 AA and NA meetings in 90 days. Her mother is very thankful for the progress she made while at Santiam Crossing.

"I saw a lot of changes and a lot of developing. The parent weekends were a big plus," said Tamara Meisner.

Santiam Crossing, a six to nine month therapeutic school for adolescents who have completed a therapeutic wilderness program. Here students can resume academic study while continuing to build on their treatment gains.

Resources Crawford, N. (2003). Adolescent drug abuse treatment works better with family. Monitor of Psychology, Volume 34, No. 9, October 2003.