On Wednesday November 7th, partners of the St. Mary’s County and Charles County Juvenile Drug Courts will be training to provide the Seven Challenges Program intervention to youth engaged in their programs.  Seven Challenges is designed to treat adolescents with drug and other behavioral problems in a relationship-based manner.  It is a nationally recognized best practice approach to working with youth.

The opportunity to bring this intervention into services provided by juvenile drug court team members in St. Mary’s and Charles County has been made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program Grant.  This grant is administered by the St. Mary’s County Courts.  “I hope that this program will serve to address substance abuse and underlying problems more effectively than the more traditional approaches for adolescents,” says Pete Cuccinotta, Drug Court Coordinator for the Circuit Court of St. Mary’s County.  Maryellen Kraese, Drug Court Coordinator for the Circuit Court of Charles County comments, “Charles County Juvenile Drug Court is appreciative of the opportunity to work with the St. Mary’s County Juvenile Drug Court in this joint venture. We look forward to more joint projects to benefit all the youth in these programs in the near future.”

The training will kick off with a 90 minute overview of Seven Challenges on Wednesday 11/7 from 9-10:30 a.m. at Walden’s Anchor Treatment Center in Charlotte Hall.  Delegates John Bohanan and Johnny Wood will join the leadership of the St. Mary’s County and Charles County Juvenile Drug Court Teams for this overview.  Local media is invited and encouraged to attend this overview.

 

 “As a mental health and substance abuse treatment provider working with teens and families in both St. Mary’s and Charles Counties, we are delighted to be able to train on and begin using Seven Challenges,” comments Kathleen O’Brien, Executive Director of Walden Sierra.  “It will be of benefit to Walden and other providers in working with any teen with drug or other behavioral problems, and most especially those in the juvenile drug court programs.  The Seven Challenges emphasis on focusing all conversations between counselors and teens on the most important issues to the teen– rather than the most important issues to the adults– and then framing those issues in a conversation around the Seven Challenges, is empowering and impactful.”

Members of the Charles County Juvenile Drug Court include representatives from Charles County Circuit Court, Charles County Department of Health, the Department of Juvenile Services, Office of the Public Defender, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Charles County Public Schools, State’s Attorney’s Office, Center for Children, and Walden Sierra.

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