Funds for Student Assistance Program granted by Covenant Health

Counseling program developed by Roane County Drug Prevention Task Force focuses on teens who need the most help

Being a kid can be tough in the age of television violence, multimedia and the information highway. It can be even tougher when a child experiences problems at school or at home, or in their own relationships with peers. According to recent studies across Tennessee and in nearby Morgan County, more kids are turning to substance abuse and violence in response to pressures and social problems. As the result of a grant from Covenant Health, a full-time counselor will be available to students of the Emory Heights Alternative Learning Center as a part of Roane County’s new Student Assistant Program.

The grant proposal was the result of a special Drug Prevention Task Force designated through the Roane/Morgan Counties’ Community Health Improvement Councils. The task force included local community leaders from Roane County including Sandy Stiles, Gigi Roberts, Bryant Collins, Lori Johnson, Denicia Bass, Michael Moore, Mary Ann R. Owings, Jim Lett, Nancy Wimmer, Mary Baker, Jim Leitnaker, Stephanie Walker, John Peach, Sheriff David Haggard, Don McKinney, Bobby Jackson and Jim Cox. Community organizations who have collaborated with the effort are the Roane County Reality Program, Peninsula Lighthouse Adolescent & Adult Treatment Facilities, Community Based Services, Roane County Juvenile, Roane County Sheriff’s Department, Wal-Mart of Rockwood and Roane County Ambulance Service.

The Emory Heights Alternative Learning Center is the focus of the project because it serves students with the highest risk of some or all of the following difficulties: 1) suicidal tendency; 2) alcohol/drug use or dependency; 3) physical, emotional, sexual or verbal abuse; 4) academic problems; 5) family problems; and, or 6) financial problems. Many of the students live in a one-parent home or live with relatives or foster parents. More than half of the students have been arrested at least once and 89 percent smoke or use other tobacco products. Thirty percent drink alcohol on a daily basis and 86 percent have tried either drugs or alcohol. The Center provides a place of learning until these students can be returned to the Roane County School System.

The goals of the Substance Abuse Task Force through the Student Assistant Program is to: 1) Decrease the number of "drop-outs" at the Emory Heights Alternative Learning Center by 10 -15 percent by the end of the school year; 2) Decrease the number of alcohol and/or drug related juvenile charges within the student body attending the alternative school; 3) Empower the students of the Center to resist peer pressure in all areas of their lives.

While the statistics look grim, the program is optimistic and based on other success stories, such as the Student Assistant Program in Anderson County. Part of the Student Assistant Program is to help these students focus on themselves and learn to change behaviors that are self-destructive; in effect, to unlearn the destructive behavior pattern in favor of another one that is more productive and positive for the student. The Student Assistant Counselor will be a full-time resource to help these youth develop better social and problem-solving skills and help work through difficult issues with which they may be struggling.

Students will also receive intense educational training in the Disease Process of Addiction, Twelve Step Recovery and the Family Dynamics of living in a home when one or both of the parents are alcohol and/or drug addicted. They will learn how to deal with conflict, work as a team and attend both individual and group counseling sessions.

School Superintendent, Gary Collins, cited that a lot of thought has gone into the program’s development, especially in planning to meet the needs of the alternative school. "We’re excited to meet this great need for counseling...we’re always needing someone who can give guidance and assistance to these students who are coming to the at-risk school. Having this resource available is going to be a tremendous asset to the program," Collins said. Collins also said parents are an integral part of the program and will take part in the counseling process. "Hopefully, by working closely with the students and families we may be able to help some of these kids," he added.

Peer pressure can be a big factor in what adolescents do. According to the Drug Prevention Task Force, kids with low self-esteem feel abandoned in a world which they perceive as "upper-class," leading to a thought process that can persuade kids to choose "being one of the crowd," over a more self-respecting choice, even when they are aware of the serious consequences. The Student Assistant Program will arm these students with skill building blocks which will increase their self-worth and give them the strength to make decisions based on their own beliefs and moral values.

The program doesn’t end there, though. A variety of support groups keep kids in school by helping them talk about their difficult issues, from making the transition back to their home school after participating in the program, to talking to other kids from abusive family situations. There are also support groups which focus on alcohol and drug-related issues as well as gang-related activity. In the safe environment of the support group, kids can express their problems without the fear of punishment or ridicule. From there, they can realistically view their own situation and begin to learn the skills to mend it.

Sandy Stiles, member of the Drug Prevention Task Force and supervisor for the Student Assistant Counselors, said Roane County’s school superintendent, Gary Collins, was the key in making possible the inclusion of Emory Heights in the Student Assistant Program. "It is a refreshing experience to work with a school superintendent who is focused and determined to lead the students of this county into the 21st century, not only with academic skills, but with life skills that will ensure these students will become adults who can contribute to the future of Roane County," said Stiles.

For more general information about the the Student Assistant Program and what it is doing for the community call Sandy Stiles at (865) 567-5713.