The Recovery Build Alternative Peer Group program for teens with substance use challenges has been awarded a grant of $315,000 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The program is a collaboration between Cape Cod-based Behavioral Health Innovators Inc., and Duffy Health Center.
The RecoveryBuild Alternative Peer Group is the only program of its kind on Cape Cod. There are no other programs on Cape Cod targeted specifically to teens who are struggling with substance use challenges. Key components of the RecoveryBuild APG model are evidence-based, leveraging the Houston model where APGs have been in existence since the 1970s.
“This is a huge opportunity for our entire Cape Cod community. We all need to take action to help teens who are struggling with substance use,” said Stephanie Briody, co-founder and CEO of Behavioral Health Innovators.
“When teens attend the APG they receive the tools and support necessary to create awareness around their substance use and its impact on their lives,” Briody added. “By empowering teens in this way, we provide an opportunity for them to build their own path of well-being.”
The APG pilot program opened in Hyannis in early 2018. Initial funding was provided by The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation. Duffy was on board as a community partner from the outset.
RecoveryBuild APG is staffed by a multi-disciplinary integrated team which includes a program supervisor, licensed mental health therapist, peer mentor with lived experience, certified recovery coach, and a family therapist to support families. The program is open to teens between 13 and 17 years old with a history of substance use. The team also supports and provides resources to their family members.
RecoveryBuild APG meets twice weekly, and thanks to this $315,000 grant from the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Department of Public Health, services are being expanded to Pleasant Bay Community Boating facility in Harwich and The Falmouth Recreation Center.
“We are so pleased that the APG program has received recognition by the state and funds to expand services and locations,” said Heidi Nelson, CEO of Duffy Health Center. “Our clinical team is dedicated to supporting our community’s adolescents who are struggling with substance use. We look forward to expanding our reach into Falmouth and Harwich to serve families in need.”
To learn more about the APG view this video at https://rb.gy/h0b12u or go to https://www.recoverybuild.org for information.
