Educational Advancement Key in Young Adult Addiction Treatment at Gatehouse Academy

Wickenburg, AZ (PRWeb) December 13, 2006 -- Gatehouse Academy, a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility offering addiction treatment for young adults age 17-25, announced this week that their updated programs include an expanded focus on determining and achieving educational goals. Residents who come to Gatehouse Academy often have different academic experiences including those that are both positive and negative. One of the key focuses of the rehabilitation program is to help residents to get back on track and succeed with their educational goals.

"Secondary to recovery the process of education is very important" said Kent Sherman, the CEO of Gatehouse Academy. "At Gatehouse our focus is on creating an environment that fosters a desire to learn. After an initial focus on learning everything there is to know about recovery, we help them develop a personalized academic plan. These plans can be aimed at either high school or college level studies."

One example relates to a resident whom we shall call James. James is a young man whose life came crashing down around him. He has been in treatment for two weeks and is only starting to come out of a serious case of brain fog. He has ADHD and was expelled from high school for truancy in his freshman year. This gave him the perfect excuse for him to dropout entirely. So he entered Gatehouse Academy's drug treatment center with an educational chip on his shoulder and no motivation for learning. How can anyone reach James academically?

At Gatehouse the key to educational success is a mixture of compassion, praise, high expectations, honesty, individual support, and sometimes consequences when students drop the ball. These are all part of the learning process.

Education does come secondary to recovery at Gatehouse Academy. The onus has to be on keeping these young adults alive. However, once the residents are stabilized their first topic of study is addiction. For several weeks, they spend their academic sessions reading recovery literature (or listening to tapes) and watching videos. They're asked to take a genuine look at their personal experiences and communicate their feelings about them. As the fog begins to clear, their thinking becomes more stable. Their resistance to school drops just a notch and at this time staff can approach them about taking a class.

There are a number of routes someone in James's position might take. Perhaps he will work towards a high school diploma. Maybe he will decide to go for his GED. Or perhaps he will resist either way.

How does Gatehouse help James get back on an academic path? First of all he is placed in an environment that supports him and helps to encourage him to get things going. Experiencing success right away is critical to sparking his motivation. As time progresses James learns to lean on his academic coaches and he works directly with a tutor if he needs individualized attention. By taking one step at a time James completes an assignment, then a unit, then a practice test. This helps to pick up momentum until the day arrives when James is smiling as the community applauds his educational achievement.

The Education staff at Gatehouse Academy works with residents as individuals by creating a personalized academic plan to meet their individual needs. The goal of the Education department is to meet the students at whatever point they are at when they enter the facility, and from that point on to help achieve academic success one step at a time.

About Gatehouse Academy:
Gatehouse Academy is a long term residential drug and alcohol facility exclusively for young adults age 17 - 25. Residents learn life skills, attend therapy, continue formalized education, enhance physical well-being, and recover from the effects of alcohol & drug abuse through focused 12 Step Recovery. For more information on Gatehouse Academy visit the website at www.gatehouseacademy.com or call toll free @ (888) 966-4800.

Media Contact:
Glenna Conway
Gatehouse Academy
928-231-5004

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