Rancho Mirage, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2018)—Student assistance programs, available across the U.S. in certain K-12 school districts, are an essential resource for at-risk children dealing with various issues, including addiction in the family, says Jerry Moe, National Director of the Betty Ford Center Children's Program, part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
"Children find it difficult to focus on life, much less learning, when they come from troubled homes," Moe said. "Student assistance programs play a large role in giving children a leg up in life. We are a big supporter of these programs and work closely with them to help children access all the resources they need for a healthier future."
Student assistance programs, or SAPs, came about in the 1980s and function similarly to the employee assistance programs offered by many businesses. They provide a multitude of professional counseling and support services to students at participating schools who may be experiencing addiction, conflict, divorce, anger or others issues at home.
The primary goal of SAPs is to help students overcome barriers that can undermine school success. That is also among the goals of the Betty Ford Center Children's Program, which has been helping kids affected by addiction in the family for over 30 years.
In the Coachella Valley of California, the Betty Ford Center Children's Program has played an integral role in the Desert Sands Unified School since 1997 and in its SAP since 2000. Not only does the Children's Program provide in-school counseling, but it also plays host each month at its Rancho Mirage headquarters to SAP staff and representatives of other community mental health and wellness organizations who meet to share information on program options.
"Our role at the Children's Program is to help kids discover healthy modes of communication to cope with the parental addiction in their homes," said Helene Photias, Manager of the Betty Ford Center Children's Program. "Within the student assistance program, we're able to refer children from our services on to other area agencies if necessary. Each of us involved in the student assistance program is devoted to ensuring children and their families have the tools needed to thrive."
About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. It is the nation's leading nonprofit treatment provider, with a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center. With 17 sites in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Florida, Massachusetts, Colorado and Texas, the Foundation offers prevention and recovery solutions nationwide and across the entire continuum of care for youth and adults. It includes the largest recovery publishing house in the country, a fully-accredited graduate school of addiction studies, an addiction research center, an education arm for medical professionals and a unique children's program, and is the nation's leader in advocacy and policy for treatment and recovery. Learn more at HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford.
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