The purpose of adding substance use disorder services at Children's Service Center is to meet the needs
of a unique group of potential clients—young people in the community who are using/abusing alcohol and other
drugs. By providing these services in an environment that is focused on children and adolescents, hopefully
individuals in this age group will feel more comfortable either starting alcohol and/or other drug services
or incorporating them into their ongoing mental health services. By providing substance abuse counseling and
mental health counseling at the same facility, CSC offers opportunities for individuals and their families
to become comfortable at one location. CSC can offer improved coordination of care, reduced travel time and
costs, and fewer problems associated with coordinating appointments with multiple people's schedules.
CSC's Substance Use Disorder Philosophy
The philosophy of treatment at Children's Service Center embraces the American Medical Association's definition
of addiction as a chronic, progressive, primary illness affecting the physical, emotional, and spiritual
well-being of the individual and family, and, as such, is treatable. CSC has a long history of focusing on the
needs of children and adolescents and their families and understands that child and adolescent alcohol and other
drug users differ from adult users, having unique developmental issues that must be approached in ways that
vary from adult treatment. CSC can intervene with young people by providing specialized outpatient counseling
programs while the use of alcohol and other drugs might still be in the experimental stages, thereby preventing
the use from progressing to total dependence. With individuals who have been assessed and found to have a higher
degree of substance involvement, the focus of treatment addresses this level of need. CSC also believes that the
family is an essential component of successful treatment. Families are strongly encouraged to participate in all
programming, and the individual client is encouraged to allow this participation.
Outpatient Treatment Services
Outpatient programs serve individuals whose alcohol and drug use affects their daily living and causes family
issues, school truancy, legal issues, etc. In many cases, an individual's outpatient counselor provides the first
step toward comprehensive treatment. Individual counseling helps participants to develop their own personal relapse
prevention plans and strategies. It also helps clients find ongoing sources of support and self-help, such as
Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon/Alateen, and Narcotics Anonymous. Clients can consult our psychiatrist or certified
registered nurse practitioner if there are medical concerns or the likelihood that treatment may include medications.
Goals of the Program
The goals of Children's Service Center's Substance Use Disorder Program are to:
- To provide recovery-focused addiction services
- Increase the self-sufficiency of clients and communities
- Provide effective, high-quality alcohol and drug prevention, intervention, and treatment services
- Prevent the onset of alcohol and drug abuse and addiction wherever possible and where it already exists
- To mitigate the effects on individuals, families and communities
For referrals or for any information about Children's Service Center's Substance Use Disorder Services, please contact:
Eric Pollick, Director of Substance Use Disorder Programs
Phone: 570-825-6425 Ext. 608
Toll-Free: 877-433-5112 Ext. 608
E-Mail: epollick@e-csc.org