Her Lived Experience With Addiction Helped Create An Urban Model For Holistic, Community Based Young Adult Treatment, with The Dorm’s Amanda Fialk

ABOUT THE EPISODE:One of the biggest challenges young people who are misusing drugs and alcohol face is identifying the plan for transitioning back to the “real world” post-treatment. Young people can become vulnerable because they feel they don’t belong anywhere as they start to rebuild a new and different life that doesn’t involve substances.  If they aren’t ready to hold down a job or enroll in college, where do they go? How do they spend their time without getting into trouble? In this episode, I’m joined by Amanda Fialk, the Chief Clinical Officer of The Dorm, a safe place for young adults to find community and gain skills and tools to become independent as they seek to find their place in the world after treatment for substance use and mental health challenges. Amanda has worked hard to build in aspects of outpatient treatment that she saw were missing from her own experience.The difference young people find at The Dorm is the holistic approach to support services and an urban, “real world” environment that still offers guidance and nurturing. Young adults receive access to long-term support as it relates to their clinical, academic, health and nutritional needs, just to name a few. In this episode, you’ll learn: How a simple request from a staff member in her own treatment program changed the course of Amanda’s careerWhat prompted Amanda to leave law school and instead pursue advanced degrees in social work and mental healthWhat she believes makes traditional outpatient therapy programs ineffective for young adultsWhy every family needs to agree on a discharge plan before a student leaves a program Why it’s beneficial to not dive straight back into school, work, and other demands, and how parents can play a role in this important transition periodThe difference between your child talking and the substances talkingEPISODE RESOURCES:Check out The Dorm WebsiteThe Dorm on LinkedInThe Dorm on InstagramThis podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream CommunityLearn about The Stream, our private online community for momsFind us on Instagram hereWatch the podcast on YouTube hereDownload a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and AlcoholHopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.