It is one thing for a marketing brochure or television commercial to tell someone looking for substance use disorder treatment that a program has staff who understand what the client is going through, but are there visible signs that would indicate the treatment staff truly have empathy? Full disclosure, I do not know how many people work for Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. However, while gathering data for this study and book, I interacted with approximately thirty separate individuals. These individuals held jobs/roles ranging from maintenance crew to administrators to program directors.

Of the people at the Minneapolis, MN, MNTC location, over 90% of those whom I talked with were former clients of the long-term (approximately 13 months) program. One thing is obvious when talking to a graduate of MNTC: they love to share their testimony about their time in recovery and why they work for MNTC. They stay because of what the programs have done for them, and they want to pay that back and help others achieve sobriety.

They have been to other programs as clients, but according to them, Teen Challenge is the only place that works, and they want to help the next person coming into the program by providing an example of someone who was where they are and made it. Positive reinforcement by example, that this program works.

Tagged #abuse, #cocaine, #fetanyl, #meth, #methamphetamine, #minnesota adult and teen challenge, #MNTC, #substance abuse, #substance use disorder, #treatment