Seven Challenges

  • Contact Stacey Scanlon, LCSW
    (505) 830 1871
    Fax Referrals To (505) 467 8338

Evidence-Based Therapy Program For A Drug-free Lifestyle

Seven Challenges is offered only through our Las Cruces office. We focus on the individual in recovery but also engage the family as a whole to reduce the negativity, frustration, hostility, and helplessness that can consume a family with a child in crisis. This approach helps to lay the foundation for a sustainable change of behavior, improving life skills, communication, and family dynamics. Independent studies found a “substantial reduction” in substance abuse as well as impressive mental health improvements for those who have completed the program.

What Should I Expect?

  • Youth will attend group sessions as clinically appropriate.
  • Parents will participate in group therapy once a week
  • Individual and/or conjoint sessions with their family will be provided regularly
  • Many adolescents may also choose to attend a support group such as Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous
  • All services are provided by licensed mental health counselors in a safe environment

Who Should Attend?

  • Adolescents from ages 14–17 years old who want to live an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle
  • Families who are concerned about their teenager’s drug or substance use

The Seven Challenges

  1. We decided to open up and talk honestly about ourselves and about alcohol and other drugs.
  2. We looked at what we liked about alcohol and other drugs, and why we were using them.
  3. We looked at our use of alcohol or other drugs to see if it has caused harm or could cause harm.
  4. We looked at our responsibility and the responsibility of others for our problems.
  5. We thought about where we seemed to be headed, where we wanted to go, and what we wanted to accomplish.
  6. We made thoughtful decisions about our lives and about our use of alcohol and other drugs.
  7. We followed through on our decisions about our lives and drug use. If we saw problems, we went back to earlier challenges and mastered them.