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Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP)

Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP)

Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), provides treatment and support for adolescents and their families struggling with substance abuse and dependency.

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ASAP Program in Denver

The Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), offered by the Denver Family Therapy Center provides treatment and support for adolescents struggling with and recovering from alcohol and/or substance abuse and chemical dependency.

Treatment for adolescents with dual diagnosis (those struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues is also provided. This program is licensed by the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and is considered a Behavioral Health Entity (BHE). ASAP offers Outpatient treatment and is covered by most insurance companies.

ASAP has a family systems-based approach to treatment. While adolescents learn about drug abuse and ways to maintain abstinence, the entire family is included in setting treatment goals, to address the problems related to substance use.

Our goal is to help move adolescents and their families down the continuum of care to the least intrusive and least restrictive services available. Adolescents are held accountable for sobriety through regular urine drug testing.

Parents get help and support in building their parenting skills by setting clear limits, expectations, and personal boundaries. Because the program treats the family as a whole, it is very important for parents to participate in the treatment process.

ASAP Clinical Staff

Jamie Blair Echevarria, LCSW, LMFT, CAS
Dionna Santoro (Clinician)
Nich Dhillon (Clinician)
Samantha Kelley (FCC)
Dino Abeyta (FCC)

ASAP Treatment Services:

  • Drug and Alcohol Assessments
  • Family Therapy
  • Individual Therapy
  • Urine Drug Screens
  • Periodic groups or family activities

Service Rates

  • Most Major insurance companies are accepted
  • Medicaid accepted
  • Sliding scale available for qualifying participants
  • Assessments $300
  • Family/Individual Therapy $120 per hour
  • Group therapy $48 per group
  • Urine Drug Screens $22

Collaboration with Other Professionals

  • Hospitals
  • Judicial Systems
  • Human Services
  • Educational Systems
  • Psychiatric Consultation

How ASAP Works

Licensed and masters level therapists, who are also Certified Addictions Counselors and who specialize in family systems therapy conduct an initial assessment to determine the appropriate level of care and design an individualized treatment plan.  The assessment will lead to one of several different levels of intervention.  Clients will be able to receive Outpatient treatment through ASAP, and if another level of care is recommended, we will support in the referral process.

youth substance abuse prevention and treatment
Adolescent substance abuse group therapy

Ongoing Outpatient Treatment

Clients exhibiting a moderate level of risk and a moderate level of life disruption as a result of their substance use will be referred to ongoing treatment. This treatment does not have a maximum length of time and will be completed when the client and family have met their treatment goals. This level of treatment will include:

1 to 2 therapy sessions per week may be individual, family, or group therapy (see schedule below).
Regular urine screens to monitor substance use.

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Guiding Philosophy

The ASAP program utilizes a Brief Family Therapy/ Systemic approach to treating adolescent substance abuse.  “Brief Family Therapy is a planned and co-creative process, utilizing both family strengths and the least restrictive and intrusive treatment interventions to help the family identify and develop solutions” (Blair, Kelsall, 2001).  

ASAP Treatment goals include:

  • Improving overall family functioning (according to the family’s definition of what is functional for them)
  • Increasing/improving community involvement for the adolescent in school, occupation, extra-curricula’s, or community service.
  • Reduce drug and/or alcohol use.
  • Reduce the level of involvement in the court system.

Specific objectives for ASAP’s treatment program include:

  • Developing a common language among family members and treatment providers (i.e. therapists, probation officers, psychiatrists, etc,).
  • Identifying patterns around destructive behaviors and helping to develop alternative responses.  This will include looking at roles, communication patterns, solution patterns, etc.
  • Allowing for mutual peer support during the process of change and its predictable pain and relapse process.
  • Establishing a trial and error process to help the adolescent and family determine needs for future treatment (e.g., sobriety, controlled use, AA, etc.).
  • Helping the adolescent and family discover alternatives to use that enhance intrapersonal and interpersonal developments.
  • Facilitating a pro-social process of separations/individuation.

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The staff were all very helpful, and David Blair was a great listener, helping me through quite a few issues I was having at the time.

FAQs – Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP)

Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) is a special program within Denver Family Therapy Center. ASAP is program that is classified as an outpatient program (OP) for substance  abusing adolescents from the ages of 13-19 years of age. The ASAP program consists of assessments, individual therapy, family therapy, and urinalysis screens.
Yes! ASAP is based in systemic principles and we work hard to connect with and collaborate with other important members of the treatment team. We will establish who belongs on the treatment team early in the therapy process, establish appropriate permissions, and then begin the collaboration.
Although influenced by many 12-step techniques, ASAP would NOT be considered a 12-step program, but rather a family therapy based program
Yes, ASAP does offer a sliding scale for qualifying families who are involved in treatment for substance use. Please ask about this during your first interaction with a staff member at DFTC.
ASAP contracts with most major insurance companies including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Cigna, CHP+, Colorado Access, Humana, Kaiser Permanente, United Health Care, and Carelon. If you have questions, please contact us to ask. We also work with alternative funding resources if you are interested in getting treatment but unsure if you can afford it. Please call us to discuss payment.

We also offer a Sliding Scale for qualifying participants. Clients can apply for this at intake. Participants may qualify for up to 100% coverage. To qualify, clients must be accessing substance abuse treatment, and do not have any other form of health insurance or Medicaid.
Yes.
Yes. ASAP contracts with a local toxicology lab to pick-up urine specimens twice weekly. Reports are usually returned to ASAP within a few business days of when the specimens were picked-up.
Yes. The ASAP program is based on the assumption that the family’s strengths and resources are required if success with a substance-abusing adolescent is to be achieved.
The ASAP program offers periodic family activities and topic-based groups. Family activities occur about once per month, and topic-based groups do not operate on a schedule.
Individual and family therapy meeting times are scheduled between the family/adolescent and their therapist. Groups are advertised monthly and may change each month.
The process of filling-out paperwork, filling-out the questionnaires, and participating in the interview will take approximately 2.5 – 3 hours.
The assessment requires the completion of two scored substance use questionnaires, an interview with the child and at least one parent/guardian, a urine sample, and collateral contact with probation, human services, medical facilities, and/or other mental health providers that the parents deem as needed.
If a child’s substance use is creating problems within the family, school, community, the law, work, or their own mental health, please call and schedule an assessment.