Lois A. Ehrmann PhD
Licensed Professional Counselor

Services for individuals with substance abuse disorders and co-ocurring disorders (substance abuse and another psychiatric issue) are provided at Counseling Alternatives Group in State College, Pennsylvania. The agency is licensed by the PA Department of Health to provide outpatient treatment to individuals with drug and alcohol issues as well as all family members. At the agency we have numerous Master degree (or above) professional counselors specificially trained to deal with children from addicted family systems, substance abusing adolecents and their families and the adult population.

Professional counselors at the agency facilitate numerous group programs including groups for persons charged with DUIs and other legal issues. In addition marriage and family counseling services are often a regular part of each person's overall treatment protocol as we believe in working with the entire family system whenever possible.

Please feel free to call the agency (see Contact Page) for more information.

The terms "dual disorders" or "co-occuring disorders" refer to the situation where an individual has both a substance abuse problem and some other psychiatric issue as well. For example, the counselors at the agency have worked with persons who have been diagnosed with substance abuse or dependence along with clinical depression, bipolar depression, generalized anxiety, and anorexia bulimia/nervosa (eating disorders) as well as other psychiatric disorders. For quite some time the professionals at the agency have also been aware that for especially women but also for some men, substance abuse and dependency has co-occurred along with traumatic stress or post traumatic stress disorder. Trauma for our clients may have occured prior to any history of substance abuse or the substance abuse itself may have induced trauma in the person or family members. Due to this phenomena of co-occuring substance abuse/dependence and trauma, many members of the staff have pursued training and ongoing clinical supervision toward certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Please see more information on EMDR on the Trauma and EMDR page.

While the professional counselors at Counseling Alternatives are not medical doctors they do meet all of the qualifications and credentials to provide services to clients who have psychiatric issues as well as substance abuse issues. They work in conjunction with psychiatrists and other physicians in the community to assist clients in obtaining psychiatric evaluations and services and when appropriate medication monitoring and management. Counselors and other community professionls are in continual communication about treatment needs and protocols that are in the best interests of each client of the agency. Life for dually diagnosed clients is more complicated and therefore treatment services are complicated as well but with proper coordination and interventions for all of the issues a client brings into the agency, recovery is possible and enhanced. People are entering and maintaining recovery at our agency every day so there is lots of hope! Don't give up.

Adolescents are a specialty at Counseling Alternatives Group. Currently we have four professional counselors working with teenagers who are referred by central Pennsylvania school Student Assistance Programs or from other referral sources. Most adolescents, although not all, live in families and therefore adolescent treatment is also family therapy treatment. Teenagers typically go through a five session assessment process which includes interviews with their parents or guardians, school personnel, and if applicable law enforcement personnel. In addition numerous assessment tools and questionnaires are administered to the teenager as well as his or her parents and siblings. After about five sessions (conducted once or twice a week) the counselor sees the client with his or her parents and reviews the results of the assessment and recommendations for treatment. The parents and the teenager then have to decide over the next few days whether they wish to follow the recommendations presented or end their contact with the agency at that time. Although each teenager's situation is different and each teenager is totally unique, in many cases teenagers and family members are recommended and referred if needed for individual and family therapy as well as attendance at 12 step support group meetings and group therapy/support meetings at the agency. Often random drug testing is also recommended or required by probation. If a mood disorder or other psychiatric issue is suspected referrals to adolescent psychiatrists are also made and the agency counselor works in a coordinated fashion with the psychiatrist for the benefit of the teenager. Of course other modalities, such as EMDR  or Neurofeedback, may also be appropriate in working with teenagers and their family members so you are encouraged to review the information on those pages of this website for more information and links.

Click on the following links to get more information on the treatment of substance abuse and co-occuring disorders in individuals:

http://www.nida.nih.gov

http://teens.drugabuse.gov

http://www.samhsa.gov