Support Choices: Healing Adolescents in Need

Dear Friends, Supporters, and Partners:

Choices is a Non Profit organization dedicated to healing our most fragile adolescents from substance use and co-occurring disorders. We are located at 108 Grove Street in Worcester Ma. Choices opened its doors to on-site services on December 15th, 2022 after many months of careful planning, connecting with the community, remote support and listening to the feedback of local adolescents and caregivers.

At Choices, our mission is to create a safe, supportive, and respectful recovery community where adolescents struggling with addiction and mental illness can reclaim and restore all aspects of their lives. We seek to help by working in partnership with the adolescent and family to provide wrap-around support in pursuit of a healthy, meaningful life. We work with adolescents who are marginalized and often invisible.

Our conversations may be difficult, yet our commitment to meet each teen where they are and stay with them throughout their journey is unique and effective. The feelings that come up for teenagers (and their parents/caregivers) when looking at substance use and mental health issues and contemplation of a new path of wellness mimic those of most of us as we emerge from almost three years of isolation. We stand beside each adolescent, offering compassion, trust and a judgment free space of creativity and care. As an example, we have partnered with a local family in support of their Opioid addicted, suicidal adolescent; providing in-home support, clinical intervention, and 24 hour phone contact. We assisted the family in accessing medical care, a higher level of quality treatment, and advocated for longer term transitional housing for additional treatment.

Adolescents and their families typically deal with the diseases of substance use and mental illness in states of fear, shame and denial. It requires courage to admit there is a problem and to seek support. When immersed in our Alternative Peer Group (APG), led by experienced, licensed staff, adolescents and family members begin to understand the nature of the struggle and learn about the tools available to alter its trajectory. A space opens where young people can let go of substance use and try on new coping skills to deal with the stressors in their lives. Our APG is an after school and weekend program offering clinical support, creative arts, “sober fun”, life skills, and community activities in support of healthy alternatives to previous destructive behaviors.

Expanding access to treatment and recovery support for more young people (and their families) drives our efforts. Choices has launched a Positive Alternative to School Suspension (PASS) pilot program with Worcester area schools. We opened in January, 2023. PASS provides a model of treatment for students suspended for drug and alcohol offenses, replacing typical suspension with clinical intervention and social and academic support. Participating students are assessed and those struggling with anxiety, depression, substance use, and/or trauma are referred for appropriate support services. As part of our programming we work to have food available to feed the youth that come to us, helping meet their basic needs to enable them to be able to recover and thrive.

While we have made great strides and overcome many obstacles to open our doors, we still have a lot to accomplish. We need your support to remain barrier free for our adolescents. We are committed to providing services regardless of the cost. Barrier free includes transportation to and from our programs. Barrier free includes our ability to feed and clothe our students who need to be fed and clothed. Barrier free means that whatever it takes for an adolescent to find health and wellbeing, we are all in. Please consider supporting Choices with your donation.

Thank you!

for more information visit: http://www.4choices.org/