Page 12 March 23,1981
Community services reorganized for better efficiency
by Marsha Shewczyk
Confusion about where to go
for what services may exist in
the community since the recent
reorganization of the Health
and Social Services Branch
in Warm Springs. The changes
were made not to confuse
everyone but in an effort to
increase efficiency and to avoid
duplication of services.
What was previously known
as the Family Resource Center
has been divided into two
separate departments. It used
to include the Group Home, the
Outreach Program, the Pre-
Adolescent Treatment Home
and the Foster Placement
Pogram. Now, one depart
m en t is in v o lv e d w ith
residential treatment known as
Youth Services and the other
new department deals with the
outpatient treatment service,
now c a lle d C o m m u n ity
Counseling Services.
The Alcohol Program has
also been affected since it
handled both outpatient and
residential patients.lt now
deals exclusively with a
residential program leaving the
outpatient treatment to the
C o m m u n ity C o u n s e lin g
Service.
The directors of the three
existing departments. Youth
Services, Community Counsel
ing Services and the Alcohol
P ro g ram claim th a t the
changes are for the better. Once
the transition is complete, says
Alcohol Program director
Gordie K napp? things will be
running smoothly and we will
be able to serve the community
better.” .
Youth Services
Included within the Youth
Services department are all
residential treatment programs
designed with children and
adolescents in mind. The actual
physical location of these
programs remains at the Group
Home and the Path Program,
also known as the Vernon
Jackson home.
Other residential care is
based in foster home settings.
Close tabs are kept on those in
foster homes, a responsibility
of the Group Home where
director of Youth Services
Merrill Featherstone has her
office.
Children and adolescents
who are placed in either the
group home or the PATH care
unit are not necessarily court
referred although that is often
the case. Residents may come
to the homes voluntarily.
Featherstone feels that the
care homes “need not be a place
to put “bad" kids. It could be a
place to strengthen family ties
and make both children and
parents aware that there are
many options in their lives that
are open to them.” She feels
that sometimes being closely
involved in a family situation
will blind family members to
o th e r w ay s o f liv in g .
Sometimes it is good to step out
and take a look.
A t th e G ro u p H om e
adolescents from ages 12 to 18
can find a place to stay where
counselors are available. An
effort is being made to establish
a day program for adolescents
who seek a more structured
day. They will have a place to
go before and after school with'
planned activities and group
with which they can associate.
A tu to r would be made
available to them upon request.
- Whether a youth is placed at
the, hom e through court
psychiatrist. Som etim es a
person just needs another
person to listen to him,
commented Weist. Like the
Youth Services, the Counseling
Service encourages indepen
dent thinking and self help. It
offers direction.
Someone interested in seeing
a counselor on an outpatient
basis for any reason has only to
call the Community Counsel
ing Service. An interview will
be set up at which time
information will be gathered. A
counselor will be assigned to
the client for long range
counseling.
Alcohol Program
P e o p le w h o r e q u i r e
residential treatment due to
alcohol related problems are
re fe rred to the A lcohol
Program. The only outpatient
service available there is the
antabuse program.
Prior to reorganization the
alcohol program included
outpatient treatment, labor-
m an a g e m e n t re la tio n s
counseling and drug counsel
ing. The crisis service is still a
Working with children— S ta ff members Yvonne L eno and Bonnie Teeman work with young people part of the program offering 24
hour service for problems
in the home environment p rovided at the Group Home.
which require involvement
such as suicide, family fights
The only gap in the family unit” as much as’ and severe depression.
procedings or voluntarily seeks
help at the group home, the residential treatment program possible, says Wiest. The four
P rim a rily , th o u g h , the
treatment includes every effort Featherstone feels is one left by counselors available at the alcohol program deals with
to encourage the youth to act the absence of a detainment Counseling Services receive alc o h l re la te d p roblem s.
in d e p e n d e n tly and w ith fa c ility aw ay fro m th e continuous training and “gear Clients are referred by the court
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . P a r e n t a l community. In the currently themselves to working with the or come in on a voluntary basis.
participation is also invited and existing residential treatment entire problem. They are also Director Knapp says “35 to
programs there are no external working to alleviate future 40% of the residents are self
encouraged.
The pre-adolescent treat controls; no locked windows or problems,” Wiest says. She referred.”
ment home (PATH) is another doors. In some cases a child will goes on to say, “the counselor
Knapp says he likes to see the
Ph ase of th e re sid e n tia l not stay in the home. Director helps a person sort out how patients stay for at least 30 days
things
go
wrong
and
how
to
treatment program designed Featherston says, “sometimes
in the residential care unit.
specifically for infants and there has to be that external cope with problems.”
They can stay longer if they
control
to
treat
a
child
who
is
children up to the age of 12.
The Community Counseling continue to advance in the
Children may be in the home out of control. Sometimes Service also contains within it treatment process. They might
containment
is
treatment.
Kids
for one reason or another.
be working in various ways
th e L a b o r M a n a g e m e n t
Featherstone recognizes that are very reasonable once in Program. Previously this was a toward recovery by develop
“we all need help occasionally.” control.”
function of the Alcohol ing socially or occupationally.
A critical stage does not need to
Program, since the reorganiza Knapp says an alcoholic is
be reached before help is
tion it has become a part of impaired in all phases of his life
Community
Counseling
sought. The residential “homes
outpatient services. Labor so work must take place in all
are a resource,” Featherstone Service
Management relations demand areas.
Although
housed
in
the
same
savs.
attention when, because of a
Since a few responsibilities
The foster care homes are
building as the Group Home problem, work is affected. It have been removed froth the
another part of the Youth
and Youth Services office, the does not demand residential Alcohol Program and turned
Services. When necessary, a
C o m m u n ity C o u n s e lin g tre a tm e n t but o u tp a tie n t
over to the C om m unity
Service provides support to counseling may be essential.
child might be placed in a
Counseling Service—“we can
resident outside the family
clients in a different way. The
better concentrate on what our
A nother aspect of the job
environm ent. This would
concern in this newly created
is to serve the community
happen when it is for the
departm ent is solely for C o m m u n ity C o u n s e lin g better,” We can act “more to
outpatients treatm ent. The Service is the Prevention and the purpose of our existence,”
welfare of the child. The first
choice is the home of a relative..
Director of the department, C o m m u n ity E d u c a t i o n
Knapp says.
But any home which is selected Barbara Wiest says they see Program. Under the direction
people at the Counseling of Caroline Cruz, mental
m u st m eet c e r tif ic a tio n
The A lcohol P ro g ram ’s
requirements. Foster Care Center who do not need health and social issues are existence seems to be quite
Counselors are available to residential care for treatment of presented to the community. important as 65 to 85% of the
Prevention of problems must reservation’s population are
work with the extended family their problems.
The C ounseling Service begin in early stages. If people affected by alcohol in some
for bring them up to the
required standard for foster provides assistance with any knew how to help themselves a way. 45 to 50% of these are
number of problems froth problem might not get into a under the age 30. According the
homes.
The foster parents involved family counseling to drug and critical stage. An example Priscilla Frank, “Children
in the program are offered alcohol counseling. Child would be one sighted by begin to experience their first
every assistance available. related problems can also be Alcohol Treatment supervisor episode of being drunk about
F e a th e r s to n e an d o th e r brought before the well trained Priscilla Frank when she says the age of 8 years.” The family
workers help them to deal with counselors as well as personal that by the time many young is involved in the problems of
the intracacies of being a foster troubles. The counselors are people reach their eighteenth each individual member it is
birthday they are already in the true but the alcohol program
parent. Raising other people’s trained in many areas.
Oftentimes problems are m iddle stages of alocholism.
children is much different than
must concentrate on treatment
All levels of professional and| of the individual leaving family
raising one’s own children, interrelated. For example,
Featherstne says. “The whole where there is family bickering para-professional counseling is counseling to the Community
issue of attachment and then there may also be an alcohol o b ta in a b le th r o u g h th e Counseling Service.
losing someone has to be dealt problem. The counselors “try C o m m u n ity C o u n s e lin g
Each of the programs is
to work with people in the Service, including a part time
with.”
designed to fit the needs of a
|Branch Manager j
particular segment of the
Warm Springs community.
And each is structured to
enable the program to work
to g e th e r o r w ith o th e r
departments. The total scheme
is comprehensive and working
to w a rd s a lle v ia tin g th e
difficulties involved in living in
today’s modern society. The
I programs were created and
exist for any community
member who wants to make
use of them.