BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) - Anyone raising a teenager knows how tough it can be to communicate—especially when it comes to serious topics like substance abuse.
Now, a new parent support group is aiming to help. The program, offered through Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, is designed to educate parents and caregivers on how to talk to their teens about addiction and guide them toward recovery—without shame or blame.
Dr. Ashleigh Herrera, CEO of Hope in the Valley, a nonprofit focused on overdose prevention, says the earlier a young person receives help, the better their chances for long-term recovery.
“Our hope is that we can actually engage families and young people in early recovery and intervention sooner, because the sooner we intervene, the more likely we are to change the outcome of someone's life course.”
Dr. Herrera says understanding what’s happening in the brain is key to preventing it.
The six-week program is completely free and anonymous, and is built for parents and caregivers whose children are in early stages of recovery. The goal is to equip them with tools that promote healing—not conflict.
“I think blaming and shaming, right, we’ve never blamed or shamed someone towards recovery or positive behavioural changes, I think that’s going to make the young person shut down and just hide the behaviours more,” said Dr. Herrera.
According to the California Opioid Overdose Dashboard, in 2023:10.9% of eighth graders,19.8% of tenth graders, and 31.2% of twelfth graders reported using illicit drugs in the past year.
Dr. Mathew Beare with Clinica Sierra Vista has seen the impact firsthand, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were seeing kids as young as 12 years old who had multiple overdoses, were struggling with daily fentanyl, not even knowing they had necessarily gotten themselves into this situation.”
While he notes a recent decline in drug use among teens, he credits community outreach and supportive programs like this one for the progress.
“This could make a huge, huge impact locally and even bigger if something like this takes off on a bigger scale.”
In addition to group sessions, parents are directed to local resources, including: Mutual aid groups, Medication-assisted treatment, and Behavioral health services.
Dr. Herrera hopes families walk away from the program feeling empowered—not helpless.
“I think the biggest message we want parents to have is that you’re not alone and you’re not powerless, and your young person isn’t powerless.”
Interested in Joining? Click this link. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfd5eIhkNKrifleorMKay7f3_0I_0Md6m8ikjiwAlISzy8Jiw/viewform?pli=1
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