Programs - Tidewater Juvenile Substance Abuse Program

The Tidewater Juvenile Substance Abuse Program (TJSAP) is a comprehensive, community-based program addressing alcohol and drug abuse in adolescents. The treatment program is unique in its holistic approach to the problem. Through a non-traditional model that addresses the adolescent’s whole life as well as the addiction, therapy is guided by the following principals:

  • It is pragmatic rather than ideological;
  • It is geared toward concrete results rather than labeling and interpreting personal experience;
  • It examines life in its totality rather than focusing exclusively on the addiction;
  • It works by strengthening the foundations of the adolescent's life and utilizes a group experience to help the individual reach his/her personal goals.

 

The Tidewater Juvenile Substance Abuse Program is recommended for youth who need more intensive intervention than can be provided in traditional outpatient settings. Transportation is provided for all groups and program activities and individual/family sessions are conducted in the home and community.   

Referrals can be made by the juvenile court (pre- or post-commitment status) the Department of Social Services, or community mental health agencies. The program also accepts referrals for youth identified through Comprehensive Services Act throughout Hampton Roads.

The Tidewater Juvenile Substance Abuse Program has the following components:

  • Assessment, evaluation, and screening;
  • Individual therapy and family counseling once a week in the client’s home or community.  We place emphasis on strengthening relationships and finding productive alternatives to addictive behaviors;
  • Group therapy to provide mutual aid and support from a peer group and to address individual needs. Topics include:
    • Development of leisure skills;
    • Development of employability skills;
    • Conflict resolution;
    • Goal development;
    • Development of team cooperation to accomplish goals;
    • Enhancement of personal and community responsibility.
  • Random and frequent urinalysis, using SAMHSA-approved laboratory-confirmed drug screens, for monitoring and motivation;
  • Therapeutic recreational activities, including participation in the Commission’s Outdoor Adventure Program, to provide socialization and foster leisure-time management;
  • Relapse prevention – Participants develop a plan to manage stress and situations leading to substance abuse;
  • Crisis intervention provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
  • Discharge planning with all involved agencies and referrals for appropriate follow-up services.

 

The Tidewater Juvenile Substance Program is: 

  1. Licensed by Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; 
  2. Certified under the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) non-residential standards; 
  3. An approved vendor for DJJ 294 and IV-E funding; 
  4. A Medicaid-licensed program;
  5. A provider of Virginia Juvenile Community Crime Control Act funded services; 
  6. An approved vendor for Comprehensive Services Act funding.

 

For more information or to make a referral, contact Ginger Ploeger, Director of Community-Based Clinical Services at 757-488-9382 or gploeger@tyscommission.org.