Village Family Service Center expands its services with teen addiction recovery program

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — The Village Family Service Center is expanding its services with a teen addiction recovery program.

“We’ve noticed there’s been a huge need for adolescent substance use in the Fargo-Moorhead area. There hasn’t been a program for several years. So we were able to establish an adolescent IOP program to help our youth in the community,” said Tonya Sorenson, Clinical Supervisor of First Step Recovery Program at Village Family Service Center.

The Intensive Outpatient Program has recently launched for teens aged 14 to 17 across Fargo. Teens in the group talk in a group setting, focusing on prevention, education, and self-reflection. Families are also invited to work alongside the teen with materials both in the program and at home.

“Adolescents program differently than adults. Their brains are still developing, and they have different needs where they’re at in life, so it was really important to have a program that was specific just for teens to be able to address their substance use,” said Sorenson.

The program has been running for the past few weeks and recently received a Health Innovation Grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation. Giving the program a push forward to help teens across the state.

“When the Village brought forth this idea of launching this adolescent intensive outpatient program, we just thought it was a really great opportunity,” said Amber Blomberg, Executive Director of the Caring Foundation for BCBSND.

Currently, there is a max of twelve teens who are allowed in the program, with more requesting to be a part of it.

More information about the program is available here.