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ASAP Program in Denver
The Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), offered by the Denver Family Therapy Center provides treatment and support for adolescents struggling with and recovering from alcohol and/or substance abuse and chemical dependency.
Treatment for adolescents with dual diagnosis (those struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues is also provided. This program is licensed by the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and is considered a Behavioral Health Entity (BHE). ASAP offers Outpatient treatment and is covered by most insurance companies.
ASAP has a family systems-based approach to treatment. While adolescents learn about drug abuse and ways to maintain abstinence, the entire family is included in setting treatment goals, to address the problems related to substance use.
Our goal is to help move adolescents and their families down the continuum of care to the least intrusive and least restrictive services available. Adolescents are held accountable for sobriety through regular urine drug testing.
Parents get help and support in building their parenting skills by setting clear limits, expectations, and personal boundaries. Because the program treats the family as a whole, it is very important for parents to participate in the treatment process.
ASAP Clinical Staff
Jamie Blair Echevarria, LCSW, LMFT, CAS
Dionna Santoro (Clinician)
Nich Dhillon (Clinician)
Samantha Kelley (FCC)
Dino Abeyta (FCC)
ASAP Treatment Services:
- Drug and Alcohol Assessments
- Family Therapy
- Individual Therapy
- Urine Drug Screens
- Periodic groups or family activities
Service Rates
- Most Major insurance companies are accepted
- Medicaid accepted
- Sliding scale available for qualifying participants
- Assessments $300
- Family/Individual Therapy $120 per hour
- Group therapy $48 per group
- Urine Drug Screens $22
Collaboration with Other Professionals
- Hospitals
- Judicial Systems
- Human Services
- Educational Systems
- Psychiatric Consultation
How ASAP Works
Licensed and masters level therapists, who are also Certified Addictions Counselors and who specialize in family systems therapy conduct an initial assessment to determine the appropriate level of care and design an individualized treatment plan. The assessment will lead to one of several different levels of intervention. Clients will be able to receive Outpatient treatment through ASAP, and if another level of care is recommended, we will support in the referral process.
Ongoing Outpatient Treatment
Clients exhibiting a moderate level of risk and a moderate level of life disruption as a result of their substance use will be referred to ongoing treatment. This treatment does not have a maximum length of time and will be completed when the client and family have met their treatment goals. This level of treatment will include:
1 to 2 therapy sessions per week may be individual, family, or group therapy (see schedule below).
Regular urine screens to monitor substance use.
Guiding Philosophy
The ASAP program utilizes a Brief Family Therapy/ Systemic approach to treating adolescent substance abuse. “Brief Family Therapy is a planned and co-creative process, utilizing both family strengths and the least restrictive and intrusive treatment interventions to help the family identify and develop solutions” (Blair, Kelsall, 2001).
ASAP Treatment goals include:
- Improving overall family functioning (according to the family’s definition of what is functional for them)
- Increasing/improving community involvement for the adolescent in school, occupation, extra-curricula’s, or community service.
- Reduce drug and/or alcohol use.
- Reduce the level of involvement in the court system.
Specific objectives for ASAP’s treatment program include:
- Developing a common language among family members and treatment providers (i.e. therapists, probation officers, psychiatrists, etc,).
- Identifying patterns around destructive behaviors and helping to develop alternative responses. This will include looking at roles, communication patterns, solution patterns, etc.
- Allowing for mutual peer support during the process of change and its predictable pain and relapse process.
- Establishing a trial and error process to help the adolescent and family determine needs for future treatment (e.g., sobriety, controlled use, AA, etc.).
- Helping the adolescent and family discover alternatives to use that enhance intrapersonal and interpersonal developments.
- Facilitating a pro-social process of separations/individuation.
The staff were all very helpful, and David Blair was a great listener, helping me through quite a few issues I was having at the time.
FAQs – Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP)
We also offer a Sliding Scale for qualifying participants. Clients can apply for this at intake. Participants may qualify for up to 100% coverage. To qualify, clients must be accessing substance abuse treatment, and do not have any other form of health insurance or Medicaid.