Educational Long-term Drug and Alcohol Treatment for Adolescents and Young Adults

We model what life is like when a young person is living on their own.

Many of our teen and adolescent residents have been in previous drug treatment centers, drug rehabs, residential treatment or other contained settings. We understand they know how to get along in these environments, yet struggle to make it in the "real world". Everything that we do, from the choice of locations to phsyical set-up of the facility to interactions with the staff is designed to teach appropriate life skills.

Staff take an active role as "life coaches" and are very involved in mentoring residents. We hire staff that have life experience in recovery. Residents are put in leadership positions and asked to lead a work crew, do the shopping, prepare a meal plan, cook, go to the lumber yard and sign on an account, or teach a class utilizing a talent they have in yoga, art, music, or dance.

Therapy and other clinical services is provided by licensed and accredited professionals and this occurs outside of the primary residence. Residents have to leave the residence and go into the doctors house for therapy or into a nearby school building to attend classes - just as they would if they were living on their own.

Our adolescent and teen clients go into town to attend 12-step meetings and are interacting with others in the town. What we do is set up life situations that test coping skills and from this we create learning.

Life happens at Gatehouse . . . and in the past, when life has happened for our residents, it has caused them to turn to drugs and alcohol. By placing them in "real world" situations, we can begin to understand what triggers each individual's addiction and surround them with professionals and life coaches that can assist them in the process of developing new coping skills.