NorthStar Center - Preparing Today for the Challenges of Tomorrow
"Maturity of the mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty." (John Finley, English historian and academic)
It's no secret that life is filled with challenges - and one measure of healthy adulthood is how well a person is prepared to overcome obstacles, survive setbacks, and endure life's other inevitable uncertainties. But to teens and young adults who have histories of substance abuse and academic underachievement, these barriers to success and satisfaction can appear to be insurmountable.
For individuals at the threshold of adulthood who need the continued support that can make the difference between lifelong frustration and productive futures, NorthStar Center's innovative program may provide the answers they have been searching for.
Building a Bridge to Responsible Adulthood
With a time-tested reputation for helping older teens and young adults make successful transitions into productive independent living situations, NorthStar Center's phased program helps struggling individuals embrace increasing levels of freedom and responsibility in a positive and productive manner.
During the first phase of the NorthStar experience, students live in one of three program houses in neighborhoods within the Bend, Oregon community. While sharing a home-like environment with a small peer group under the supervision of a NorthStar staff member, Phase One students work on developing coping skills, enhancing their ability to maintain productive interpersonal relationships, and solidifying their commitment to lifelong sobriety.
Phase One students participate in individual and group therapy sessions, receive academic support at NorthStar's Academic Resource Center, and participate in a variety of activities designed to reinforce the philosophy of accountability and personal responsibility.
Phase Two students relocate to an apartment complex that gives them additional independence while still providing support services to help them handle these newfound freedoms. In addition to going to school or working (or both), students in Phase Two continue to have regular case management and participate in individual and group therapy, academic advisement, recreation activities, and 12-step support groups.
Who Succeeds at NorthStar?
By helping clients build a foundation of continued recovery, academic preparation, and mature decision-making skills, NorthStar prepares once-struggling individuals to live successful and satisfying lives while making positive contributions to their families, workplaces, and communities.
The likelihood that a young adult will succeed at NorthStar is based upon a number of factors that are best evaluated during a consultation with a program admissions counselor. In general, though, the program is designed to benefit students who possess the following traits:
- Have a need for structured living and recovery support, but are dedicated to working toward self-reliance and productive independence.
- Need help in making the transition from a therapeutic boarding school, treatment facility, or wilderness program.
- Are motivated to work toward continued recovery, and are willing to receive professional assistance as needed.
- Can use some extra academic support with high school, GED-related, or college studies, but recognize the value of education and have the desire to better oneself.
Every young person yearns for that elusive commodity known as "freedom," but students at NorthStar Center realize that independence arrives with its own set of restrictions and requirements.
By progressing through a series of steps designed to expose them to gradually increasing levels of independence, and established to ensure that they possess the skills necessary to successfully accept these newfound freedoms, NorthStar students learn to take control of their lives and accept responsibility for their successes and setbacks.
NorthStar Center doesn't promise students that their lives will be smooth or stress-free. Instead, the program gives them guided glimpses into the challenges that await them, and provides them with the skills and strategies to not only survive, but thrive.
Perhaps "K.F.," a 22-year-old NorthStar graduate, expresses it best.
I was standing atop of a very large butte that I had just hiked up with my peer group. All I could think about was how hard it used to be for me to complete my schoolwork, pay my bills and feel any pride in myself.For more information about how NorthStar Center can help you or someone you love, call 866.705.2954 or contact us online.
At my lowest, I struggled even finding the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. There I was, seemingly on top of the world. I couldn't believe how far I had pushed my mind and body. I had come a long way since coming to NorthStar.
I hope the next butte is higher in elevation and even a little more steep. It will surely be one hell of a journey.