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Experts Available to Discuss Survey Showing Teen Parties Include Illegal Drugs Despite Parents' Presence

Posted on: Thursday, 17 August 2006, 15:00 CDT

ExpertSource:

TOPIC: A survey found one-third of teens and nearly 50 percent of 17-year-olds attended parties where illegal drugs and alcohol were on hand despite parents being present, according to an article by The Associated Press. However, 80 percent of the 562 parents interviewed did not believe illegal drugs or alcohol were present at teen gatherings. The survey by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse had 1,297 participants aged 12 to 17 years.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Winnie Wechsler joined Phoenix Houses of California in February 2003 as executive director. She is responsible for all of Phoenix House's activities in California, which span 29 programs serving over 2,200 people each day. Phoenix House is the nation's largest non-profit substance abuse service provider, with over 100 programs in nine states. With beginnings in New York in 1967, Phoenix House opened its first therapeutic community in California in 1979 when it was invited by the County of Orange to initiate adult residential services. The organization now has two adult and three adolescent treatment centers in California, two women's and children's facilities, two community-based sober living centers, five in-prison programs in the Central Valley housing 1,635 inmates, and more than 300 individuals in non-residential services throughout the Southland. Phoenix Houses of California also provides on-site clinical management, training, and consultation services at six youth detention facilities throughout the state. Over 100,000 men, women, and adolescents have been treated in Phoenix House programs, more than 8,500 of them in California. With more than 35 years of expertise, Phoenix House has developed specialized therapeutic communities for numerous populations including homeless, mentally ill, and criminal/juvenile justice clients as well as programs that rebuild families torn apart by substance abuse and other destructive factors. In addition to its continuum of treatment and recovery services, Phoenix House is engaged in a broad array of prevention activities, primarily through our national education affiliates the American Council for Drug Education and the Children of Alcoholics Foundation. Moreover, in each of the communities in which Phoenix House is located, the organization works in partnership with public, private, and not-for-profit agencies in order to provide the community with critical resources and services. Partners include governments, schools, hospitals, community-based organizations, businesses, community coalitions, and neighborhood improvement groups. As the executive director, she has can discuss teen substance abuse trends, legislative issues relating to teen substance abuse, and the social impact of long-term treatment. Prior to joining Phoenix House, Ms. Wechsler was a 20-year veteran of the entertainment and education industries serving as executive vice president and general manager of Internet & broadband services for Lightspan, Inc., an educational multimedia company which she helped take public; senior vice president of Buena Vista Internet Group (BVIG); one of the founders of Disney Online; and senior vice president, new business development, for the Disney Channel. Ms. Wechsler earned an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College.

David Herz formed Vive!, formerly Confident Living Inc., after a synthesis of ideas he developed during his 16 years of experience working with children, teens and young adults. Having begun a teaching career in 1989, David found himself increasingly drawn to the emotional and psychological challenges his students struggled with as they faced the transition to adulthood. David developed and implemented several experiential learning programs as a means to better integrate the educational needs of his students with their emotional and psychological growth. David found a common theme among children and young adults who exhibited behavior problems: a lack of confidence to take the healthy risks that would help them grow into high-functioning adults. He saw clearly the need of young people for a guide - someone they could trust to help them navigate the murky, threatening waters of this transitional stage and arrive safely on the shores of adulthood. David pursued his ideas through the study of therapeutic healing and became a psychotherapist in the State of Colorado. As a therapist in both private practice and in program development and mentoring roles for troubled teens with a residential treatment program in Boulder, CO, David further developed his ideas for relationship-based healing and the powerful impact of conducting therapy within a teens real-world environment. He found that, while the mentor-as-guide approach was largely effective, teens were much more receptive to guidance when they experienced the difficulties of pushing against a system of clear boundaries for their behavior. To be most effective, David determined that it was crucial to create a dual approach, working simultaneously with parents as well as teens, with a parent coach-on-the-side process, that is also reality-based and action-oriented. In synthesizing these ideas building confidence through guidance in the real world, a system of boundaries for teen behavior, and healing through relationships David formed what would become the foundation for the Confident Living program, now referred to as the Herz Dynamic. He saw a real need for a local program in the Rocky Mountain region, and began applying his principles with clients in Boulder in 2000. Unparalleled success rates have fueled the growth of Confident Living since its founding. The company has helped hundreds of teens, young adults and their families find a healthier, happier and more sustainable path.

Kathryn Seifert is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Shore Psychological Services (ESPS), a multidisciplinary private practice focusing on evidence-based services for high-risk youth and their families. Her latest project is guided CDs and journals (Pathways to Peace, Healing from Losses, Pathways to Inner Peace, and Tools for Success). Dr. Seifert received her Ph.D. in Community-Social Psychology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 1995. She is a Diplomate (DABPS) in Forensic Psychology and a Fellow in the Maryland Psychological Association. Dr. Seifert has over 30 years experience in forensic psychological evaluations, mental health, addictions, criminal justice work, and expert testimony in Maryland. Apart from being an author of CARE (Child & Adolescent Risk Evaluation) published by Research Press, Dr. Seifert has authored professional articles and lectured nationally and internationally on youth & family violence and trauma and sexual offending behaviors.

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Source: Business Wire

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