Life Skills Training in Adolescent Substance Use & Mental Health Treatment

What Is Life Skills Training in Adolescent Recovery?

In adolescent recovery, life skills training focuses on the development of necessary skills that can help each teen manage adversity, stress, everyday tasks, and develop adaptive coping strategies. 

The vital life skills that we teach and services that we provide include:

• The development of healthy communication skills – Many of our teen clients lack the ability to communicate their personal needs and their emotions in healthy and productive ways. They might find it difficult to employ adaptive communication techniques – simply because they have not had ample practice, or they previously relied on chemical substances in social settings. Some teen clients have a difficult time expressing and maintaining personal boundaries, listening to others, or engaging in healthy, verbal conflict resolution. Clients learn to communicate in individual and group therapy settings, where they are able to offer and receive peer support and speak, in turn, in a safe environment.
• Stress management through physical fitness – Comprehensive Life Skills Training programs should focus on stress relief and stress management. Most teen clients find that engaging in regular physical exercise is a wonderful way to relieve stress. We introduce our clients to a wide range of healthy physical activities, including yoga, going to the gym and exercising in nature (like swimming or going on hikes).
• Effectively planning for the future – It can seem somewhat overwhelming to plan for the future, especially after a prolonged period of active mental health or substance use disorders. At Guardian Recovery, we help our clients plan for future success by helping them each develop a highly individualized plan for continuing care. This might mean continuing on with individual therapy, regularly meeting with a licensed psychiatrist, or discussing appropriate career options or a return to school.
• Vocational training – Some clients come to us with their non-concerning school performances – others come to us after experiencing difficulties at school. We teach a wide range of skills that go hand-in-hand with improving school performance, learning about college and higher educational options, interviewing skills, managing school and workplace triggers, and solving conflict with co-workers or their peers.
• Educational training and placement – Some teen clients may drop out of school once their substance use or mental health takes a turn for the worst. We help them re-enter into higher levels of education and choose subjects of study that interest them.

Life Skills Training as a Component of Holistic Treatment & Long-Term Recovery

At Guardian Recovery, we remain dedicated to a “whole person” approach to recovery, meaning that we focus on a complete restoration of physical, mental and emotional health. Our teen rehab life skills training program reflects this outlook.