During Journey, the youth have the opportunity to participate in equine therapy, kayaking, rope courses and many other outdoor activities.
The youth are referred by Juvenile Probation, the court or from local mental health agencies. The program is eight weeks long and there are up to six participants at a time. The clients are housed in the detention facility but are not considered detained. Throughout the week the youth receive individual, family and group therapy.
Seven Challenges is the treatment model that the program is based on. The goal is to help them make thoughtful decisions about their life moving forward. The first challenge focuses on being open and honest. Besides substance misuse issues, the program looks at trauma, life skills, emotional regulation, co-occurring issues as well as healthy relationships. Juvenile Justice Journey Detention Officer Carlos Aguilera, says, “I try to press the acronym HOW:
H is for Hope. Doing things that are positive and healthy now and to look forward to your future.
O is for being open minded to new things you will learn and open hearted to new people in your life.
W is for being willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish your dreams.”
During Journey, the youth have the opportunity to participate in equine therapy, kayaking, rope courses and many other outdoor activities. The Journey Program also helps youth complete their education, work on life skills and assess their vocational interests. To help the Journey participants pursue these activities, support is given for haircuts, GED testing, clothing and other needed essentials. Many of the participants experience things they have never done and start to believe that they can have a positive future.
Upon completion, there is a graduation ceremony and that is attended by the judge, Juvenile Justice staff, treatment staff, family and other people in the support system. The Journey participants leave with a discharge plan for taking what they have learned in the program and applying it to their everyday lives. “The Journey program gives the youth an opportunity to examine where their lives were headed and think about changes they would like to make and plan for them. It is exciting to see the transformations,” says Polara Health Journey Program Manager Sean Derry.
Recently, I was invited to attend the graduation at the Yavapai County Juvenile Detention Center for three youths who had just completed the eight-week Journey Program. The recent graduation in Judge Young’s chambers was a true celebration for these participants and their families. All spoke of the impact of the program. A young man was quoted as saying, “This is just the beginning, I feel healthier right now than I ever have.”
Each participant thanked the adults involved for hearing them and supporting them. It was a true celebration that day hearing of the commitment to move forward and to put lessons learned into practice. The graduates were packed and ready to go home with their families after the ceremony. Polara Health Case Manager Corey Marshall said, “It allows me to be a small sentence in someone’s story.”
By Deanna Eder
Deanna Eder is the director of marketing and communications for Polara Health.
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