Rockbridge Recovery will offer SMART for Teens beginning Aug. 30. The four-session program is aimed at young people who are struggling with actual or potential problematic behaviors like vaping, overuse of social media or taking unnecessary risks.
SMART for Teens will be led by Joshua Clark, a certified peer recovery specialist who is Rockbridge Recovery’s director of substance use services. It will meet on alternate Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. at Rockbridge Recovery’s group meeting center in Buena Vista.
SMART for Teens, according to a spokesperson, “is an internationally recognized, secular, evidence-based program that focuses on four topics. They include building and maintaining motivation; coping with urges and cravings; managing thoughts, feelings and behaviors; and living a balanced life. It is designed to address problematic behavior, help build selfesteem, and encourage participants to take responsibility, make decisions and come up with their own solutions as they transition to adulthood.
Funding for SMART for Teens comes from a Cooperative Partnership Grant from the Opioid Abatement Authority that was awarded to the cities of Buena Vista and Lexington, the county of Rockbridge and Rockbridge Recovery. The grant supports efforts to provide addiction education and prevention as well as assistance for achieving and maintaining long term recovery. Additional underwriting for SMART for Teens has been given by the Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath, and Alleghany’s Turner Fund.
Participation in SMART for Teens is offered free of charge, but pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, email Clark at [email protected], including your name and phone number, or call him at (540) 757-4945.
