Pubdate: Tue, 14 Jun 2005
Source: Whitby This Week ( CN ON )
Copyright: 2005 Metroland, Durham Region Media Group
Contact:  http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/info/whitby/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3823
Author: David Blumenfeld
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DEALING WITH YOUTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Lakeridge Health Hosts Inaugural Session For Ontario Addiction Counsellors

WHITBY - For the first time, the Pinewood Centre of Lakeridge Health 
held a one-day workshop to train addiction counsellors from outside 
the corporation.

Counsellors from across Ontario gathered June 3 in Whitby to learn 
about the Dawn Program, a motivational community treatment program 
developed by Pinewood 10 years ago to assist youth facing substance abuse.

"When we began sharing this package with others in the province, the 
demand was so great that we needed to do this training just to 
respond to the demand," Pinewood director Paul McGary said.  "Others 
were so eager to get their hands on it.  Rather than just distribute 
it, we wanted to accompany it with the formal training by the 
clinicians who were actually doing the work."

The Dawn Program focuses on substance abuse risks, its effect on the 
body and mind, dependence and relationships and substance 
abuse.  Allison Potts and Jeff Gauthier, two senior addiction 
counsellors at Pinewood Centre, facilitated the conference.

"I think the most important emphasis is how to work with youth who 
aren't sure they want to make a change in their substance use, and 
how to approach the information and the youth in a way that's 
respectful and will give them a way to make informed choices, and 
feel like they can process it out in their own time," Ms.  Potts 
said.  "The fact that we have a program that youth are willing to 
come to - even if they're not sure they know what they want to do 
about their drug use - gives them an opportunity to make changes, 
even if it's small changes."

Mr.  Gauthier said the counsellors are taught to be completely 
non-judgemental and supportive in their work.

"I think it's important that the youth have an opportunity to get 
this information so that when they do make their choices, they're 
making informed choices," he said.  "We know that most youth will 
experiment with some substances through their high school years.  To 
have the opportunity to do some risk-reduction around that is very important."

Dan Bajorek, a child and family therapist from Muskoka, said he came 
to the workshop to get up-to-date information on what works best with teens.

"It's probably a program that's relevant for any one working with 
teens," he said.  "If kids know that you're interested and attuned to 
what their going through, they're going to be opening up more to you."

He called substance abuse a "huge problem," one people are just 
cracking the tip of the iceberg on.

"The ideal for me, in my role, is to go back to my community and 
really give teens the best information possible, so that when they go 
out on a Friday night and they're going to have a party weekend, that 
most of them are still around on that Monday morning and are able to 
say 'Hey, we made some good choices,'" he said.

For more information, go to www.pinewoodcentre.org.