GO! Health LA is your one stop shop for health information and services for Str8 and LGBTQI of all ages and ethnicities.
No one at Tarzana Treatment Centers prevention programs and services could have imagined the degree of success the Getting OFF! (GO!) program would have in the community of young MSM (18-34) of color in such a short amount of time. Although impressive in numbers, what’s more impressive is the feedback received from those clients who have taken part in the Getting OFF! program.
“I feel as though I can truly open up about my experiences with substance abuse and with physical abuse.”
– Getting OFF! client, Group 5
What makes Tarzana Treatment Center’s revamped Getting OFF! program unique is not a change in the curriculum, which is also known as the Matrix Model, but in the approach and the addition of two very crucial curriculums- Art Therapy and Better Self Esteem.
Our new approach to this outpatient HIV/Hep-C prevention and substance recovery program is centered more on self esteem, goal setting and self awareness and not on substance use/abuse education. For most individuals suffering from Substance Use Disorder (SUD), substance use/abuse is a self-taught means of coping with painful labels and childhood trauma. They often fear that they are not “strong enough” to identify, process and overcome this pain and use their substance of choice as the means to “run away.” Based on this belief, SUD is merely a symptom of a greater issue; that issue being low self esteem, low self worth and limited/self defeating beliefs.
Art Therapy was added allowing clients to use images, colors and words to creatively address their feelings of shame, guilt, resentment, abandonment, judgment, etc. Art projects are then used to open the discussion of their painful and often traumatic experiences, such as, “Depict a Painful Situation in Your Life.” In addition, further support is offered to each client in the form of an Alcohol and Drug Counselor who can address and work on any personal issues that may be too uncomfortable to address in a group setting.
The GO! Program has been so successful, that the demand for an 8-week mobile track to provide off-site services was also created. Clients from TTC Central Residential, TTC Antelope Valley Outpatient, Antelope Valley Bartz-Altedonna and students of the LGBTQ Alliance at California State University, Northridge have all benefitted from the GO! Program thus far.
Throughout our success Tarzana Treatment Centers Getting Off program has been integral in connecting (as needed) its participants to resources such as mental health, psych services, HIV medical care, HIV benefits assistance, HIV care coordination, HIV case management. dental assistance, transitional housing programs. sober livings, PrEP/PEP, detox, residential treatment, transportation services, legal services, and support groups.
All services are FREE to clients with snacks and drinks provided each session and gift cards amounting to $65 for completion of the program. For more information on how to bring the GO! Program to your facility, please contact Program Supervisor, Anthony Contreras at (818) 342-5897 x2184 or Case Manager, Ceasar Corona at (818) 342-5897 x2155.
