Miller Jr High parents informed on multi-pronged substance abuse prevention program

Behavioral experts and school officials described the Aberdeen School District’s multi-faceted approach to substance abuse intervention and education to parents at Miller Junior High School on Thursday.

School Counselor Cathy Trusty explained the program planned for Miller. Classroom presentations start with the sixth-grade class Feb. 27, and seventh- and eighth-grade classes follow the next two Thursdays.

“There will be a panel of people there to ask questions and provide support,” she said.

That panel was represented Thursday by Lisa Verboomen with True North Student Assistance and Treatment Services; Cole Johnson, child and adolescent therapist at Behavioral Health Resources; and Dr. Katie Zeigler, a pediatrician with expertise in adolescent medicine and development who practices at Grays Harbor Community Hospital.

Before Thursday’s meeting, Miller Principal Lisa Griebel said parents can opt out of the classroom presentations if they feel uncomfortable with their children participating, but hopes most understand the importance of early education on substance abuse.

Verboomen said progressive comprehensive care is more effective than previous intervention programs in recognizing the triggers of adolescent substance abuse. “We were catching them too far downstream” with previous intervention and recovery services, she said. The school district’s current approach includes classroom education, peer and professional support groups, and providing a safe, confidential outlet for students to express their concerns before they seek out drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Currently, True North has a specialist available at Miller every day the school is open, said Verboomen, for students to reach out to with their own issues and concerns, or to confidentially talk about concerns they have about their peers.

Zeigler said she was honored to be part of the program, which she said seeks to give students “real life stories” and provide “interactive opportunities to ask questions.”

Providing some very real-life stories is a video, created by Aberdeen Police Officer Loren Neil and edited by his son, Aiden, a student in the district. In it, Neil interviews two incarcerated addicts who openly share their stories about their fall into addiction and the problems that inevitably followed. Parents previewed the 14-minute video Thursday, and it will be incorporated in the classroom presentations.

Johnson is a local product, who saw an “epidemic” of suicides around the time he graduated Hoquiam High School some 10 years ago. He vowed then that, after completing college, he would return home to help students during their critical formative years.

“I’ve had so many kids who have been in my office who say, ‘that will never happen to me,’” he told the parents. “Then it happens to them.”

He said it’s important to teach kids coping skills, “how to say no.” Substance abuse roots in children often come from the adolescent mind trying to find a way to cope with other issues in their lives. By helping identify those triggers and teaching more healthy coping options the program seeks to stop substance abuse issues before they start.

After each class session at Miller, students will be given a confidential follow-up slip. The goal is to give students confidential outlets to talk about their own issues for behavioral health professionals to provide individual assistance.

One parent expressed concerns over the confidentiality aspect, but both Zeigler and Verboomen said the ultimate goal of the program is to build a bridge from the student to the parent, not separate the two, as behavioral issues are identified and treated.

After Thursday’s meeting, Trusty urged parents to collect bookmarks the staff had made, each including phone numbers of the services included in the program. Literature from True North and Behavioral Health Resources was available for parents as well.

“There’s nobody I know who hasn’t been touched by this,” said schools Superintendent Alicia Henderson after the presentation. The program will continue to include the district’s efforts to provide a drug-free place for its students, which will include more K-9 sweeps by the Aberdeen Police Department like the one at the high school recently.

A second presentation is scheduled at the high school for March 16 at 6 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The program at the high school will be similar to that at Miller, but adjusted to accommodate the different needs of students in different age groups.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Miller Junior High Principal Lisa Griebel watches a video featuring incarcerated drug addicts produced by Aberdeen Police Officer Loren Neil. In the foreground is Aberdeen Police Chief Steve Shumate.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Miller Junior High parents and students watch Aberdeen Police Officer Loren Neil’s video, “The Dangers of Drug Usage,” Thursday evening. The video is part of the school district’s multi-pronged drug prevention program.

DAN HAMMOCK | GRAYS HARBOR NEWS GROUP Parents who attended a Miller Junior High program Thursday detailing the district’s approach to drug abuse education asked questions to a panel of some of the involved entities. From left, Jessica Verboomen from True North, Aberdeen Police Officer Loren Neil, Cole Johnson from Behavior Health Resources, and Dr. Katie Zeigler.