General Questions About Cornerstone

What is Cornerstone Recovery?

Cornerstone Recovery is a 12-step support recovery program for adolescents and for their families.

What is an “alternative peer group” (APG)?

An alternative peer group is a support group that is different from the kids teens would typically have been hanging out with when they’re using drugs and alcohol. It’s based on the concept that sober, healthy, fun people will probably have a positive impact on the child.  The two things that influence an adolescent are their peer group and their parents. We provide kids with a well-supervised peer group to replace the unhealthy one they were hanging around with before.

How does the Cornerstone program work?

How do you join Cornerstone?

Just show up.  You can call, you can e-mail, or you can walk into a meeting.

What are the first questions you ask a parent about their child?

One of the first is “What part of town do you live in?”  We want to guide them to the parent meeting that’s closest to them. We will ask them what is happening that makes them feel that their child has a problem. We will ask if their child acknowledges having a problem and is willing to get help. And we’ll ask if they feel they still have enough of a hold on their child to get him or her to a meeting. 

Are there any common behavioral markers? (Lying and manipulation; signs of drug use)

Do you work with teens that have problems other than chemical dependency?

Yes.  Examples of other self-destructive behaviors that are common are self-mutilation, depression, eating disorders, shoplifting, pornography, and acting out sexually.

Do Cornerstone kids attend regular schools while they’re in the program?

Most do. But some of the kids who come in to the program are so impaired from their substance abuse that they really can’t handle any kind of school activities—their thinking is skewed, their attention span is short, their behavior is disruptive. We don’t want to set them up for failure. We recommend some kids be given home schooling or internet distance education while they are stabilizing.  But even those might not work well if the kid is really not cognitively appropriate for school at that point.

What would the ideal Cornerstone candidate look like?

It would be any teen who wants to stop using drugs and alcohol and feel better about him-or-herself.  Their willingness is what makes the difference between somebody who is easy to work with and one who is going to struggle for a while.  We work with them all but that willingness is really what we love to see. That said, we’ve had many clients over the years that were hard to work with at first, but turned out to be pillars in the group when they finally turned the corner. We’ve really let go of any idea of who can make it and who can’t.

Does Cornerstone accept kids who don’t believe in God?

Every day, because it’s very common.  One of the things you’ll hear in Cornerstone a lot is “trust the process, be patient with yourself.”  And almost every one of those kids who comes in as a disbeliever will at some point will discover a higher power that they can believe in.

Is Cornerstone Christian-based?

No, it’s 12-step based.

What is Cornerstone’s success rate and how do you measure it?

Success in any recovery program is difficult to measure, whether in a hospital treatment setting, AA, or  an alternative peer group program like ours.  We measure the outcomes of our intensive outpatient program every January by following up with the kids who successfully discharged during the year two years prior. For example, those who completed IOP in August of 2006 were contacted in January of 2008. Based on this method, 90% of the kids who successfully completed intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) during 2006, were still sober in January of 2008.  Of those discharged in 2007, 89% were still sober in January of 2009.  For 2008, that number is 92% at January 1, 2010.

At what point does Cornerstone believe that AA should be incorporated into your kid’s program?

How do you decide to kick a kid out of Cornerstone?

Are you opposed to drug testing the kids? If so, why?

Can kids still participate in Cornerstone if they are 18, 19 or 20?  At what age are kids too old?

Can you comment on the legal implications of “kid out of the home?”

It is our understanding that as long as you provide alternative housing (such as boarding school or another family) you have the right to ask your child to live elsewhere. You should never “kick your kid out” of the home. You set rules for living there, and if the child understands that the consequence of breaking a rule is to live elsewhere, it is the child’s choice.

What happens after Cornerstone? (Awakening)

What is the “Talent Show” and why do you have it?

If people are interested in knowing more, where should they go?

Right here at our website. You’ll find more information about the program, recommended readings, and Cornerstone activities. Parents should also go to a parent meeting and get a feel for the program by talking to other parents, and then come in and sit down and talk with one of our staff so we can start to assess the child and figure out if Cornerstone is going to be a good fit for their family. If it’s an adolescent in trouble, they should check out the web site for the closest, soonest meeting and just go. The other kids and counselors there will help them figure out what to do next.