Substance Use Counseling & Support
Serving youth ages 12–25 who are experiencing challenges related to substance use and have a diagnosable substance use disorder. Participants must be clinically appropriate for outpatient treatment services, as determined through an assessment using ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) criteria. Our goal is to provide compassionate, developmentally appropriate support that helps young people build healthier futures while remaining connected to their communities and support systems.
Services Available:
Assessments / Screenings: Comprehensive assessments are provided to all clients who are seeking treatment services. Initial assessments on average take about 1.5 hours to complete. At the follow-up appointment treatment recommendations will be discussed and if treatment is recommended a counselor will be assigned to you.
Individual Counseling: Counseling sessions are usually 50 minutes in length and may take place at the Elevate Youth Services office or at a variety of community sites. Sessions may and take place one to three times a week depending on treatment needs. The schedule and frequency of treatment is determined collaboratively by the client and counselor as part of the Plan of Care.
Case Management: Case management services are also available to assist clients as part of their treatment. These services can include coordination of care with family members or referring agencies, referral to other services both within Elevate Youth Services and in the community, transportation to treatment related appointments and assistance with insurance issues. Some clients may be eligible for more intensive case management through Extended Support Services (ESS).
Drug Testing: We offers comprehensive urinalysis drug testing for adolescents and young adults. Testing is provided at time of assessment and during treatment depending on recommendations and is only available on site at our office.
Community-Based Services: We have entered into collaborative agreement with a number of area schools which allow us to provide our services on site during the school day. Clients who are interested in receiving services from Elevate Youth Services at their school can make this known to Elevate Youth Services staff at any time during treatment.
Services Available
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Response: 24-hour/7-day/week crisis response system ensures that youth or families in crises are served within a 24-48-hour period. Crisis services may be provided at the location of the youth or family, home, office, police station, school, hospital or other location as deemed appropriate by the youth and their family.
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Services that can include: education regarding normal adolescent development and behavior, working with the youth and family to identify and mitigate root causes for potential disruption, mediation, conflict resolution, skill building, identifying resources needed to keep the family together, and individual and family counseling with the intended outcome of eliminating the need for youth to enter State custody.
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Comprehensive assessments to determine initial diagnosis develop, plans of care that address immediate and long-term needs and initiate referrals to other or additional services as needed.
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Assistance in the coordination of activities necessary to obtain access to health care services, including but not limited to assistance with enrolling/re-enrolling in Medicaid, connecting with medical care professionals, substance abuse treatment; and promoting healthy lifestyle choices.
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Frequent communication with youth and their family - in person, virtually, or by phone - on issues related to the plan of care that can include care coordination with school staff, courts, doctors, housing providers and other service providers as needed and permitted by youth and their families. Case managers will make appropriate referrals to other service providers as needed.
Meet Our Counselors
Georgiana Birmingham
Program Director and Licensed Psychologist-Master
Melanie LeGeros
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
Rostered Clinical Mental Health CounselorSarina Gulisano
Shelter Homes: A Place to Land
When a young person needs immediate safety or space, we offer short-term stays with voluntary shelter parents.
Youth can stay from one night up to two weeks
Placements are in trained volunteer homes, not institutions
Each home is supported and guided by Country Roads staff
The goal is stability, safety, and time to reset
Become a Shelter Parent
We are looking for generous adults to provide short-term shelter to young people in their homes. Shelter parents house youth from one night to 14 days, are provided with training and ongoing support from our counselors, and receive a stipend of $50/night to cover the cost of food and other expenses while housing a young person.
Support is available 24/7.
Call anytime: 802-229-9151
Email: info@elevateyouthvt.org
Youth can reach out directly.
Families, schools, and community partners can all make referrals. Our Central Intake Team adds each referral to our system and connects youth with the right support. If you are a community partner, please complete our referral form and preliminary release of information form and submit it to referrals@elevateyouthvt.org We also have a Central Intake FAQ to guide you through the process.
Many services are provided free of charge. We accept Medicaid and most major insurances in payment for counseling services and also use a sliding-scale fee system. No one is turned away because they cannot pay.
Once you reach out, our team will respond quickly and help determine next steps.