In recognition of National Recovery Month, Pacific Clinics is expanding the Celebrating Families! program, which examines substance use and recovery through a family lens.
“Traditionally, when we think about substance use, we think about going somewhere to recover and coming back to family, but this is trying to make sure the whole family is treated so everyone knows how to navigate and support,” says Pacific Clinics’ Senior Learning Partner Jennifer Wong.
Celebrating Families!, operated by the National Association for Children of Addiction (NACoA), is in the training stages in the Inland Empire Region, and the planning phases in the Capital and LA/South Coast – East regions.
Pacific Clinics’ Senior Learning Partner Maria Ramirez is a nationally certified NACoA trainer who has helped Pacific Clinics regions implement the program. “It’s one of the most powerful curriculums for any family and especially those struggling with substance use,” Maria says.
While the program is not new to Pacific Clinics as an agency (the Bay Area Region has offered it for more than 20 years), the agency’s ability to launch it in other regions comes from a $400,000 grant awarded last year from the Child and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) for the purpose of expanding Community-Defined Evidence Practices (CDEP).
The 16-week program begins with a family dinner (provided by Pacific Clinics) at one of the agency’s office locations that facilitates connection. Then, afterward, the family breaks into separate groups: caregivers, teens, children, and kids ages 0-3. Here, the same information is provided in age-appropriate language. Lastly, the family comes back together to talk about what they learned. This 1.5-hour session repeats every week for 16 weeks.
“It’s a safe space for conversations about the impact of addiction,” Maria says, “and kids are connecting the dots and employee teams are excited to offer the program because they are seeing the magic …”
Stay tuned for more information on the program in your area.
