Right Step’s residential teen addiction treatment center in Dallas announces a series of program enhancements, including a new executive director, gender-specific programming and an evidence-based curriculum. Dallas, TX (PRWEB) September 17, 2013 – Right Step, a network of inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment programs, has made a number of exciting enhancements to its adolescent substance abuse treatment program in Dallas. Right Step Dallas recently welcomed Maeve O’Neill, MEd, LCDC, LPC-S, as its executive director. Ms. O’Neill oversees Right Step’s 111-bed Dallas addiction treatment center, which includes a 29-bed drug rehab program for teens, along with adult and adolescent intensive outpatient programs in Dallas. Ms. O’Neill is a licensed chemical dependency counselor in Texas and a licensed professional counselor and supervisor with expertise as a master addiction counselor. She holds a master’s in education with a specialization in counseling and development. Ms. O’Neill has more than 20 years of experience in mental health and substance abuse treatment, prevention and intervention, and over a decade of experience specializing in adolescent substance abuse treatment. Prior to joining Right Step, Ms. O’Neill maintained a private practice and served as deputy regional director for a nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Texas. “We are fortunate to have Maeve O’Neill heading our Dallas treatment center,” said Jonathan Ross, Right Step’s Regional Vice President. “She is an experienced administrator with two decades of clinical experience and a strong background in adolescent substance abuse treatment.” The adolescent program is led by Jesse Tucker, RN, BPN, a psychiatric nurse with nearly 10 years of experience working with adolescents in various mental health and substance abuse treatment settings, including a residential drug rehab, an inpatient psychiatric unit, a partial hospitalization program and nonprofit organizations. Another recent enhancement is that Right Step’s teen substance abuse program is completely gender-specific with separate staff and programming. The program houses 15 males and 14 females in warm, welcoming, newly remodeled homes. Additionally, Right Step has adopted new programming that aligns with its philosophy that the challenges facing adolescent clients are best addressed by teaching them the skills they lack. Treatment is grounded in two complementary evidence-based curricula: the EQUIP program, an award-winning method that combines life skills training and positive peer support, and collaborative problem-solving, a skills-based approach to helping adolescents learn how to resolve problems that has demonstrated effectiveness in a residential treatment setting. “These approaches have decades of data verifying their success, which has been replicated in various treatment settings all over the nation, including residential treatment programs,” said Mr. Tucker. “Particularly when used together, they are a highly effective way to help teens create a positive peer culture, rebuild the neural networks in the brain that have been damaged by substance abuse, and develop the skills they need for long-term recovery.” Adolescents in the Right Step Dallas drug rehab program also participate in weekly individual and family therapy, experiential group therapy, onsite 12-step meetings, art therapy, fitness and meditation. An onsite psychiatrist and 24-hour nursing staff assist teens who are struggling with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. “Although many treatment centers avoid serving adolescents because of their complexity, we believe this is an important population to treat,” said Mr. Ross. “We’ve developed a world-class adolescent substance abuse treatment center where young people and their families can build a solid foundation for lifelong recovery. The earlier families can identify and address addiction, the better the long-term outcome.”
About Right Step
Right Step is a network of outpatient and inpatient addiction treatment centers in Texas. Since 1990, Right Step has provided compassionate, comprehensive substance abuse treatment at an exceptional value. In recognition of its high-quality programming, breadth and depth of treatment services, and commitment to personalized care, Right Step has earned full accreditation by the Joint Commission. Today, Right Step is the largest, most trusted private chemical dependency treatment provider in the Southwest. For more information about Right Step, call (888) 859-1408 or visit www.rightstep.com. Right Step is part of Promises Behavioral Health, a family of behavioral health care programs that also includes Promises Treatment Centers, The Ranch, The Sexual Recovery Institute, The Recovery Place and Spirit Lodge. Elements offers comprehensive, innovative treatment for substance abuse, sexual addiction, trauma, eating disorders and other mental health disorders. We are committed to delivering clinically sophisticated treatment that promotes permanent lifestyle change, not only for the patient but for the entire family system. For more information about Promises Behavioral Health, visit elementsbh4.wpengine.com.