In 2006, Carlbrook School contracted with a team from Duke University (Jeff Georgi, M.Div., M.A.H., LCAS; Becky Georgi, M.S., LCAS; and Aaron White, Ph.D) to assess the substance abuse education, treatment and prevention needs of its students and their families. Over the last five years, the Recovery Services of Carlbrook School have continued to evolve in order to address the ever changing needs of its students. As part of this ongoing process, former advisor for Carlbrook, Dan Perry, MA, NCC, ADC, ICADC, has embraced his primary role of Recovery Services Coordinator to ensure even closer collaboration with the team.
This week, regular group and individual meetings with Dan Perry, Jeff Georgi and Becky Georgi have begun for the next class of students scheduled to graduate from Carlbrook. Sessions will draw on Rational Behavioral Training and Motivational Enhancement Therapy to address students’ concerns related to substance use and any predisposition that they may have to substance-related difficulties in the future.
Recognizing that the treatment of substance use is a cyclical process, identifying the strengths of each student is an important component of Recovery Services at Carlbrook School. To facilitate this approach, Jeff Georgi has developed an interpersonal group model that provides a venue for students to openly discuss their ambivalence, learn practical techniques to minimize risks and increase skills for building healthy relationships and support systems. In particular, motivation-focused interventions are used to prepare students for the challenges that they may face when leaving Carlbrook, helping them to make conscious choices that emphasize a delay of use.
Carlbrook remains committed to bringing comprehensive programming to its students and families, placing great importance on their collaboration with professionals at the forefront of the latest research on adolescent development. As such, Recovery Services will continue to be valued as a fully integrated, vital component of the overall curriculum at Carlbrook School.
