Teen Program

At the Thelma McMillen Recovery Center, we understand that today’s teens have unique social and academic pressures that can tempt them to turn to alcohol or drugs. Seeking early intervention for substance use, abuse and addiction is an important step toward your teen’s recovery and ongoing wellness, as well as a critical component of your teen’s development of emotional health, high self-esteem and positive coping skills.

Our multidisciplinary team is dedicated to creating a comprehensive and personalized treatment program that meets the unique needs of each individual. Your experienced support team with be comprised of psychiatrists, psychologists, addictionologists, counselors, family therapists and support staff.

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About Our Program

Our teen outpatient program is specially designed for teens ages 13 to 17 who need an intensive, structured program to get back on a healthy path, but who do not require inpatient care. All program activities are conducted after school hours, allowing teens to continue attending school and living at home while receiving the support they need to get — and stay — clean and sober in their everyday environment.

The team at the Thelma McMillen Recovery Center will provide a combination of individual, group and family counseling to provide the highest level of recovery care.

Our teen outpatient program is affiliated with Torrance Memorial Medical Center and supported by the McMillen Foundation. That means that your teen will receive the highest level of consistent, affordable and personalized care from trusted, experienced professionals who follow evidence-based treatment guidelines — all in a safe and stable environment, with complete confidentiality.

We Can Help

• Identify alcohol and/or drug misuse, abuse and addiction and provide expert treatment
• Address underlying disorders, such as anxiety, depression, trauma or other mental health conditions, if needed
• Provide support for teens and their families during recovery
• Provide teens with effective strategies to help them cope with the pressures of adolescence in a healthy way
• Provide early intervention that prevents unintended negative consequences of alcohol and/or drug misuse, abuse and addiction, such as poor grades, legal issues, health issues and sexual acting out
• Help teens end the pattern of substance abuse and addiction and build a strong support system in their community

What to Expect

The first step is for parents to meet with our Program Director, for a comprehensive assessment of the issues and needs, and to assist in getting the family to support treatment. After that, our experienced providers will perform a confidential, one-on-one assessment at no charge to determine whether your teen is abusing or dependent on drugs or alcohol. If our intake specialists determine that our outpatient treatment program is a good choice, we will create a personalized and comprehensive treatment plan. You will be provided guidance if our intake specialists feel that an inpatient treatment program is needed.

After your initial screening, our staff nurse will complete a health screening. Your teen may be referred to one of our consulting psychiatrists. Outpatient treatment will not be effective if the client has an unstable home life, poor or weak support system and is unable to stay clean for at least 24 hours.

Our affordable, confidential program typically lasts six months and is divided into three phases:

• Phase I - Intensive Care: Attend treatment four days a week for approximately ten weeks.
• Phase II - Transitional Care: Attend treatment three days a week for approximately three to four months. At this point, they have completed the program.
• Phase III - Continuing Care: Those who have completed their six-month program can continue indefinitely in once per week continuing care.

Throughout the program, your teen will continue to go to school, live at home and recover in his or her everyday environment. They will be able to maintain relationships with their physicians, psychologists and counselors in the community while developing a positive social support network within the framework of their everyday life. Our program also will provide them with strategies to help cope with stress and other concerns.

We also offer individual family and multi-family counseling to address issues such as communication, conflict resolution and healthy boundaries. During treatment, teens and their families are highly encouraged to access other community-based sources of support, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Marijuana Anonymous (MA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA) or other self-help groups. Many of the groups are held at the Torrance Memorial campus.

After completion of our program, we offer a variety of support resources including relapse prevention and weekly aftercare sessions that provide you and your teen with a sober support network.