COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM & DRUG ABUSE

CADA's goals are to:
(1) Prevent alcoholism and drug abuse through education and public awareness.
(2) Intervene when symptoms of the problem appear and provide alternative activities, support, and treatment.
(3) Encourage proper diagnosis, treatment and continuum of care for individuals and families with alcoholism, other drug addictions and mental health concerns.

For the past 73 years, the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (CADA) has been focused on preventing and treating the disease of alcohol and drug addiction, and mobilizing a community-wide effort throughout the greater Santa Barbara area to address this problem. CADA's prevention efforts begin by providing Youth Service Specialists and school-based counselors in elementary and secondary schools who work with youth at risk for mental health or substance abuse problems, and organize sober activities, youth leadership clubs, and prevention education efforts that support a drug-free school environment and lifestyle.

Our school-based mentoring program provides at-risk youth with trained adult mentors who offer them the academic, social, and emotional support they need to resist alcohol and drug use.

We offer youth who have committed a first-time misdemeanor offense a second chance through our Teen Court diversion program and our Youth Empowerment Services (YES) diversion program and have been a pioneer in engaging teens in treatment through these programs. We also reach out to the parents of these youth by enrolling them in our Parent Program education and support groups.

Our treatment programs for teens at three Daniel Bryant Youth and Family Centers can last from 8 weeks to 6 months, dependent on the level of needed care, and can include intensive, family-focused treatment using Multi-Dimensional Family Therapy.

Our adult services reach out into the community through our Resource and Referral Center at Project Recovery and through employee assistance programs (SAVE) offered to local businesses. CADA operates a 12-bed residential treatment center providing supervised withdrawal to those taking the first step in conquering their alcohol or drug addiction and up to 90 days of residential treatment. Our outpatient treatment programs at Project Recovery offer both day and evening programs to accommodate working adults and special groups for Spanish-speaking clients and for those with concurrent mental health and substance abuse problems. Our Perinatal Program provides intensive outpatient treatment for pregnant and parenting women, with on site childcare for their children.

For the past 29 years, CADA has served as the administrative agency for the Santa Barbara Fighting Back Leadership Coalition, which has brought together a dedicated group of community leaders to focus on policies, public awareness efforts, and systems change to prevent substance abuse and increase access to treatment.

CADA's services are available to anyone who is impacted by alcohol or other drugs and cross the borders of gender, gender preference, age, race, ethnicity or national origin. No one is refused services due to an inability to pay. Most of our clients come from low-income families and could not otherwise afford these services.

CADA has a professional staff of 115 and utilizes over 100 mentors, clinical interns and other trained volunteers in the provision of its services. We aspire to excellence in our clinical services, education, and outreach programs and we ensure that our clients are treated with concern, compassion, and confidentiality. Whenever possible we strive to utilize the latest research-based programming and curricula for our prevention, intervention, and treatment programs.

Our school-based counselors either hold Masters degrees in Marriage and Family Counseling or Social Work, or have training specialized in Alcohol and Drug Counseling. Our substance abuse treatment centers meet all of the credentialing requirements of the State of California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. We are Medi-Cal certified to provide services at Project Recovery Treatment Centers and the Daniel Bryant Youth and Family Treatment Centers. All programs are monitored by the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs and include on-site reviews to determine that the clinics are in full compliance with federal and state Medi-Cal requirements.

CADA is a well-established organization with successful prevention, intervention and treatment programs. We are proud of our many school-based programs that benefit from being part of the daily school environment, such as school-based mental health counselors in K-12 schools. We are working with our community partners and with the schools to bring more mental health counseling resources to our school campuses as see this as a priority growth area for our agency.

Our Teen Court program was featured in a video report to Congress. It has one of the most progressive youth court/treatment models in the country and has been a recipient of federal funds to link Teen Court clients to substance abuse treatment. We are initiating a new juvenile diversion program in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Probation Department and UCSB, called "Youth Empowerment Services" (YES), that diverts youth directly referred by schools and law enforcement from the juvenile justice system and develop a restorative action plan based on an assessment of their strengths and needs.

We are the recipient of a five-year federal grant from SAMHSA the is funding a program provide Multi-Dimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) to adolescents and young adults with substance use disorders throughout our continuum of care. MDFT serves youth with a wide array of challenges between the ages of 10-26 and their families/caregivers. CADA is the only nonprofit agency in Santa Barbara County offering this highly effective therapy, which is nationally regarded as the gold standard for adolescent substance abuse treatment.

We operate a free or low-cost social model residential treatment center in Santa Barbara for those who cannot afford medically assisted withdrawal management in a hospital environment. We continue to expand our substance abuse treatment services for those with both a mental health and substance abuse diagnosis. We also work closely in collaboration with the courts to provide substance abuse diversion programs.

We are a founding member of the Santa Barbara Opioid Safety Coalition (https://opioidsafetysb.org), and work with our partners to save lives and prevent opioid misuse through expanding public education and media outreach, enhancing opioid surveillance, preventing overdose and promoting Naloxone distribution, promoting safe disposal practices, encouraging early intervention, and expanding treatment access and recovery throughout Santa Barbara County.