OUTPATIENT PROGRAMS

Daybreak offers Outpatient services at two locations in Spokane:

11707 E Sprague Suite D4
(509) 927-1991
(In the Spokane valley, just west of Pines Road, in the Redwood Plaza office complex, across from the Opportunity Post Office)

What services are offered?
Daybreak offers substance abuse assessments, individual, group, and family therapy, urinalysis testing, and specialized drug-free recreation programs. These services occour daily, Monday through Friday, generally in the afternoon and evening hours. therapeutic recreation activities are available twice weekly during the summer, and on weekends or holidays during the school year.

How do I make an appointment?
- Call the Daybreak office nearest you.

- The receptionist will take basic information, then have a counselor call you back.

- The counselor will explain the program, get an understanding of your situation and needs, and set up an appointment time for the teen and the parent(s) or guardian(s) to come together for the assessment.

What is an assessment?
An assessment is a set of interviews that we conduct with the teen and with the parent(s) or guardian(s) to learn about the teen's use of chemicals and how things are going in other areas of life at home, school, work, and community. We ask the various persons to give their own perceptions and opinions about the actions, behaviors, or circumstances that led to their contact with Daybreak.

At the end of this interview process, (which normally takes about 90 minutes), we will offer our appraisal of the situation and the severity of the problems, and we will offer our recommendations for the treatment or other actions. If our assessment is required by courts or school, we will also review the findings and recommendations that we will send to them.

Do you conduct drug testing?
Daybreak provides drug testing for those youth enrolled in the treatment program and we will collect a sample at the time of assessment. Daybreak uses urinalysis during the course of treatment to verify abstinence from chemical use. Drug testing is just one of many tools. It is not infallible, but it helps us and the client establish trust and accountability, and provides the teenager with a helpful deterrent against impulsive drug use.

Who makes the decision to enter the treatment program?
After we have offered the assessment and our recommendations, we ask the teen and the parent(s) or guardian(s) to decide whether they will enter the treatment program that has been recommended. Admission is confirmed by the signing of the treatment contract and agreeing to attend treatment activities.

We want the decision to be made jointly by the teen, the parent(s) or guardian(s), and our counselors. This is the ideal situation and the one that will offer the best support for success. There are, however, other circumstances that we encounter:

- Parents or others require the treatment but the teenager is unwilling.

This is a common circumstance. We cannot force a teen to attend or participate, but we will, initially, accept a teen who is a grudging participant. We work with the teen and the parents, we will listen to all points of view, and we do our best to help each party make accurate and sound decisions. Ultimately, the teen must make her or his own decision regarding chemical use and the consequences, but in the beginning, the patterns of chemical use and crisis make any informed choice very difficult.

We want to give the teen a chance to work through his or her concerns and choices, and we do our best to show that we can be objective and respectful.

- The teen seeks treatment without parental consent or involvement.

Legally, any young person age 13 or older can request Outpatient treatment services without parental permission. Daybreak will not deny services under such circumstances, but we will encourage the teen to ask for the involvement and support of parents, relatives, or others who can be helpful. We believe parents and guardians should be involved, and their responsibility for the care of their child should be respected and upheld. When the teen is willing, we will help make contact with parents and invite their involvement. On the other hand, we can, and will, support a separation of teen from parent(s) or guardian(s) if necessary, but only when it is clear that reconciliation is not possible or beneficial.

Just call us! Ask questions. We will discuss all these issues and more, on the phone, free of charge. Call us at 444-7033 (city) or 927-1991 (valley).