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PHOENIX ACADEMY’S THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY MODEL IS FIRST TO BE FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED AS EVIDENCE-BASED

New York, NY, February 12, 2008 — The Phoenix Academy Therapeutic Community (TC) model has been recognized as the first evidence-based therapeutic community program for adolescents to be listed in the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) created by United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to promote best practices in the treatment and prevention of substance abuse.

NREPP is a searchable database listing substance and mental health treatment and prevention interventions found to be effective by independent expert scientific review. An external evaluation of one of the Phoenix Academies assessed adolescents’ background, substance use, physical health, risk behaviors, mental health, environment, legal, and vocational needs using GAIN (Global Appraisal of Individual Needs), a validated assessment and treatment monitoring tool. The baseline to 12-month follow-up results showed that adolescents assigned to Phoenix Academy showed a larger reduction in substance use and substance-related problems than similar adolescents assigned to the alternative programs. Also noted was that in comparison to the other study group, those adolescents assigned to Phoenix Academy showed greater decreases in physical problems and anxiety symptoms.

In 2005, the Phoenix Academy program had also been deemed an effective model by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and included in their Model Programs Guide.

Phoenix Academies provide substance abuse treatment to adolescents while helping them catch up academically. Students earn high school diplomas there or return to their home high school after completing residential treatment. Teachers and counselors work together to create a supportive environment. Students learn values and explore the underlying causes of their addiction. Family involvement is a key factor in the program’s success and the Academies offer parent education, counseling, and family therapy. Eleven Phoenix Academies are operated by Phoenix House around the country.

Dr. David Deitch, Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Phoenix House, explains the Phoenix Academy model as a “residential and school-based program utilizing baseline assessments that grapple with the problems associated with substance abuse, in addition to the co-occurring conditions of addicted young adults. Their length of stay in the program varies based upon assessed need.”

Phoenix House is one of the leading substance abuse treatment and prevention service providers in the United States, serving more than 7,000 men, women and adolescents each day at more than 120 programs in nine states, including New York, California, Texas, Florida, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Founded in 1967, Phoenix House provides 2.2 million days of treatment each year at residential Phoenix Academies as well as outpatient treatment for teens, residential and outpatient centers for adults, and a variety of after-school day, and specialty programs.

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Media Contact:

Marianne Jaycox
(646) 505-2091
mjaycox@phoenixhouse.org