Our SYT-I Grant Staff held a Holistic Healing in Substance Use Treatment and Recovery of Youth Conference on Wednesday, July 7th, 2019 at The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. One-hundred and twenty-five mental health practitioners gathered to hear the message of Holistic Healing from speakers, G. Pace, Dr. Byers, Michael Kasceca, and Ashley Spears. In attendance also was Gateway to Prevention & Recovery and Citizen Pottawatomie Nation.
Holistic Healing in Substance Use Treatment and Recovery of Youth Conference is important because we need to encourage the mental health professionals in our State who deal with these issues to take into consideration diverse factors that contribute to Substance Abuse Addiction. If we are to help our patients, we need to include a comprehensive audit of who this person is into account, e.g., culture as this is the helm and the fabric that we are made of. Culture defines our identity and how well we respond to treatment depends on whether that important aspect of who we are is addressed and acknowledged.
“We need to continue to have conferences based on holistic healing because there is a history that goes along with our community, and we need to learn to treat our youth with culture in mind.”
Angela Ogunbase, SYTI Coordinator
The State Youth Treatment and Implementation Grant (SYT-I) program treat the whole person rather than only a single element of an individual’s symptoms or behaviors. Our program is specifically for Native American youth between 12 and 25 years of age with a history/current issue with substance abuse. We have included activities such as yoga, art classes, talking circle, gardening, and the use of walking trails that are used to augment more traditional addiction treatment therapies, like individual, group, and family counseling.
STY-I Grant Staff thank The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum for having us at their beautiful location, the speakers, G. Pace, Dr. Byers, Michael Kasceca, and Ashley Spears, KTHC Health Director, Behavioral Health, Native Connections, TOR, and MSPI grant staff, KTHC staff, CPN, Gateway to Prevention and Recovery, and Verlinda who made our lanyards!
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Angela Ogunbase or Candi Hurley at (405)964-2081.