The Power of Second Chances: Employment After Treatment

[The following is reposted with permission of the author and its original publisher, Phoenix House. While not specifically about youth, its conclusions apply to older teens.
Do you run a vocational program for youth in treatment and/or in the justice system? Have thoughts about the role of employment for youth in recovery?  Let us know - leave a comment or drop me an email. --Ed.]
 
I recently came across “Help Wanted: One Second-Chance Job,” by Jim Arkedis, which appeared in the Washington Post, November 12, 2010. 
In the article, Jim tells the story of his mentee, Tim Cofield. Tim is 55 years old, bipolar-schizophrenic, battling substance abuse, rotating in and out of jail, and unable to acquire what Jim deems the most important stepping stone in Tim’s recovery: a job.

I was moved by Tim’s story. However, it made me even more empathetic to the situation faced by our clients at Phoenix House—most of whom are in much less dire straits than Tim. Even without co-occurring disorders (like Tim’s addiction and mental illness) our clients struggle to find employment when they leave treatment. This is despite the fact that, according to the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, individuals in recovery from substance abuse do as well or better at work than those who have no history of addiction.
 
As a Certified Vocational Rehabilitation counselor, I know that to be successful after treatment, our clients desperately need to be part of the community—and this usually means being employed. For someone with Tim Cofield’s debilitating diagnoses, volunteering may be the best option, but the majority of our clients are entirely capable of competitive employment. They have completed treatment and are no different from any candidate with a manageable chronic condition—be it asthma, diabetes, or addiction. Today’s economy, however, is a buyer’s market.
 
At our Phoenix Career Academy in Brooklyn, New York, our goal is to teach clients the tools they need to return to the job market. They choose one of our vocational training programs—which include our Beyoncé Cosmetology Center, our culinary arts program, and our carpentry course, among others. When they leave treatment, they have a marketable skill. After that, their fate is largely in the hands of potential employers. We do offer supplementary services like interview coaching, but some companies still view our clients as somehow “less-qualified” than equally skilled candidates who have not had a substance abuse problem.
 
Our clients want to work. Employment helps them feel valuable, and allows them to live their lives as productive members of society. “I just want to be normal,” they tell me, or “I want to give back.” In the world of substance abuse, occupying your time is a big part of what keeps you in recovery; work keeps you focused, on track, and out of destructive cycles.
 
Unfortunately, that destructive cycle is all that some people know. They use drugs, go to jail, get on probation, and repeat. There aren’t enough support services for this population, and not enough employers are willing to hire them. This is a disadvantage for both the individual and the potential employer; most companies don’t realize that individuals with disorders like addiction are actually extremely skilled in a variety of areas. Once hired, these individuals are often devoted workers who perform well, learn quickly, and improve exponentially.
 
So how can we bridge the gap between job training and actual employment? Jim Arkedis, who wrote Tim Cofield’s story in the Washington Post, insists “we need quality programs that place those with troubled pasts in stable jobs…in the long run, I’ll bet the employers and the community would benefit.” I couldn’t agree more.
 
At Phoenix House, we do our best to help our clients be creative and stay engaged after treatment, because we know that they can be successful. A job adds meaning to life, cultivates self-value and provides a safe and substance-free place to go every day. Most importantly, people will rise to what is expected of them; if you give them responsibility, they will work that much harder to keep it.
 
To all the potential employers out there: if you want qualified candidates, give our folks a shot. They are just as bright, as qualified, and as well-trained as anyone else submitting a resume—but they are even more motivated to succeed.
 

Jasmine Rodriguez, M.S.Ed, CRC, is Director of Vocational Services at Phoenix Career Academy.

 
Photo: reproduced from original post.