Photo Caption: State Senator Pat Browne (center, with scissors) joined local officials and supporters of KidsPeace in launching the organization’s new “dual-diagnosis” drug and alcohol treatment program at its offices at St. Luke’s Sacred Heart campus in Allentown, Thursday, March 21, 2019. Senator Browne was welcomed by KidsPeace Interim President and CEO Michael Slack (on Browne’s left), who thanked the senator for his leadership in securing state funding for the innovative program. Photo Credit: Shawn Parker/KidsPeace.
“Dual-Diagnosis” Personalized Approach Addresses Both Addiction and Underlying Mental Health Issues
ALLENTOWN, PA (March 21, 2019) – It’s estimated that nearly half of those who struggle with addiction also suffer from a diagnosable mental health condition – situations known as “dual-diagnosis” cases. Now KidsPeace has launched an innovative outpatient program that addresses the specific needs of those experiencing both a mental health condition and a substance addiction.
KidsPeace’s dual-diagnosis program is being launched at its outpatient clinic and community programs location at the St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus in downtown Allentown. The program will be launched at KidsPeace’s outpatient clinic in Mount Pocono, Tobyhanna Township in Monroe County, PA later this year.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 45 percent of people with addiction have a co-occurring mental health disorder. KidsPeace’s new program offers intensive outpatient, individual, family and group therapy to treat dual diagnoses, recognizing that it is often necessary to address an individual’s underlying mental health issues to ensure long-term success for their addiction treatment.
Program therapists are trained in the Matrix Model, an evidence-based outpatient treatment approach which
employs aspects of multiple therapeutic styles in combinations that best address each individual’s specific situation. This “personalized” approach has been shown to be effective in helping clients overcome the multiple challenges of their dual diagnoses, and use of the Matrix Model is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The dual-diagnosis treatment program treats adolescents ages 13-18 through KidsPeace’s youth-oriented outpatient capabilities, while treatment for adults ages 18-65 is provided by KidsPeace’s Orchard Behavioral Health unit. More information about the dual-diagnosis programs and contact information for the St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus and Tobyhanna Township locations can be found at www.kidspeace.org/pa-community-programs and www.orchardbehavioralhealth.org/services.
The announcement of the program’s launch was made at an open house event March 21 at the Allentown location, at which KidsPeace honored Pennsylvania State Senator Pat Browne (R–Allentown) for his leadership in securing state funding resources needed to establish the program.
Since 1882, KidsPeace has been building on its expertise to give hope, help and healing to children, adults and those who love them. Through its comprehensive range of residential treatment programs; accredited educational services; unique psychiatric hospital and foster care and community-based programs, KidsPeace is dedicated to helping people connect, transform and overcome their challenges to ensure a stable future, transition to adulthood and gain independence. Since its doors opened, more than 200,000 children have participated in one of the multitude of programs KidsPeace offers.
For additional resources or more information on how to get involved, become a foster parent or make a donation, please visit www.kidspeace.org. Follow us at www.facebook.com/kidspeace.org or on Twitter @KidsPeace.
Information Provided By:
Robert Martin
Director of Communications
