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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2001)
8 FEBRUARY 1, 2001 Smoke Signals Nanitch Sahallie: Empowering Youth to Recovery Continued from front page guidance, aftercare planning and references. Nanitch provides a living environ ment for up to 20 young men or women between the ages of 13 and 17 in early recovery from chemical addiction. The living area consists of an estimated 17,772 square-foot residence. There are 10 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, a large dining room, a living room and several group meeting rooms, as well as bed rooms for visitors and family mem bers. The grounds area at Nanitch provides room for recreational gar dening, a basketball court and a tra ditional sweat lodge. Nanitch offers residents a choice of education programs directed towards high school credits or a general edu cation diploma (GED). Positive reinforcement of Native American cultural and recreational activities are an essential part of the program. Learning how to replace drugs and alcohol activities with fun activities are important. Certified staff members, their cultural special ist staff and assistants as well as El ders run all the activities from the local Indian community. The program will converge from orientation, sober living and gradu ate into aftercare recovery in their community. A traditional smudge begins a typi cal day at Nanitch Sahallie. The first week of the program is orientation and is usually pretty quiet. The students learn expecta tions and find out about how their behaviors are going to be measured and monitored. "It's attitude and behavior as well as the work they do that is going to indicate progress," said Henry. The second week is measuring how the kids are responding in detoxifi cation. During this time, the physical com plaints that the students have really become apparent, said Henry. "When you are dealing with addic tion, you have to learn about how to make attitude and behavior changes," said Henry. "The second week, what we are really looking at is how the students are beginning to wake up from detoxification, and boy those physical complaints that they have really become apparent." Some of the physical complications that students have had are sinus in fections, broken teeth and ear infec tions. Also, they are nutritionally ex hausted. "They are really very physically ill," said Henry. "They don't realize the complications that they have when they are on some sort of drug." The young people then undergo physical examinations, dental visits, antibiotics and eye doctors if needed. "We find out what they have been covering up with their alcohol or drug abuse," said Henry. "At that point they have the interviews with our medical director and physiatrist." All of the information gathered is Photos by Justin Phillips put together, and then a treatment plan is assembled to fit the needs of the individual. The staff learns the background and history information to figure what are the major issues at need. "Many issues tend to be conflict management, impulse control, abuse to deal with that as either a survivor or perpetrator and family issues from abandonment to imprisonment," said Henry. "During this week they do a lot of individual interviews and a lot of process groups to learn how to get along with each other." The third week is where conflicts begin to happen. The young people begin to feel the withdrawal from the drug. The friendships made with the kids quickly disintegrate amongst each other. "The kids are angry with the staff, each other and their family," said Henry. "We do a lot of anger man agement and impulse control to hold the students accountable for their own anger." By the fourth week, the kids have usually earned the privilege for off campus activities. The staff at Nan itch stresses the importance in physi cal activities, such as workout pro grams and getting in touch with na ture through hiking and exploring. From the start of the program, kids also have the opportunity to sweat every week at least once if they would like. They also can have the services of Lily Quick, who is an Elder that teaches self-defense. "She is 58 years-old and can kick her leg higher than her head," said Henry. "She is remarkable inspira tion for the kids." They also have the Grand Ronde Elders come in and teach crafts. "In the fourth week their thinking is cleared up and they are actually beginning to feel pretty good," said Henry. "They have more contact with the outside world and more real honest to goodness therapeutic work with their families." The staff helps them work from passive or aggressive to assertive behavior. They learn the capacity within themselves to be assertive and they practice that in the fourth and fifth week. The fifth week the kids partici pate in the right of passage gather ings. They get to take a trip to Sil ver Creek Falls for four days and three nights. , "It is a very spiritual kind of op portunity for them to connect with Mother Nature," said Henry. "They build a sweat lodge and participate in ceremonies and also do craft work. There is a lot of informal conversa tion as to what is it they will be leav ing behind here and what is it they will be taking with them." The young people also have a medi cine walk where they look at the di rection and the gift that each direc tion gives them and the strengths that they are going to take with them. They are asked to look at what they have done in the past as a gift that will allow them to grow. "We want them to use their past productively," said Henry. "We hope they recognize that there may be a time where being very aggressive is good, and there may be a time when being very passive is also good. They need to know both of those parts of themselves, but there is also pride in being assertive." After the trip, the kids have one more week in a clinical environment. According to Henry, change and transition are not easy for young people, as they have gotten used to a place where it's clear about expec tations, there's consistency and safety. They have been able to de velop relationships of trust. It is a place where they plan goals and fol low through on them. The staff knows the secrets the kids once had and the history of their lives. "Sometimes that sixth week is pretty intense," said Henry. "Kids start echoing behaviors that we saw the third week in treatment, a real anger." The seventh week is family week. Part of the anger they see in the sixth week sometimes has to do with their family. Kids think questions like: Are they going to come and see me? Are they going to be sober? Are they going to abandon me? Are they going to support me or let me down? "Helping them imagine themselves successful at handling that is part of 5119 River Road N. Keizer, Oregon 97303 Phone: 503-390-5904 Toll-free: 1-800-552-0939 Fax: 503-390-6973 Business hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. . - - -'.1 " - n 1 Intake Coordinator Bob Lewis E-mail: bob.lewisgrandronde.org Phone: 503-390-5904 ext. 2203
