Prevention

School Prevention Programs

Forest Friends

A 6-session puppet program designed to teach and reinforce character development skills associated with future abilities to resist substance use. The program is for K-2 students and addresses the need to begin prevention in the early years.

Life Skills Training (LST)

LST is a groundbreaking substance use prevention program based on more than 30 years of research and one of a few leading researched-based prevention programs in the country. LST facilitators are trained and certified in all Botvin LST curricula, including elementary, middle and high school programs that range from 6-12 sessions.

Gun Violence and Gang Prevention

Botvin LST 12-session middle school curriculum with added sessions on gun violence and gang prevention presented by police officers that represent the local municipality.

Peer Leadership/Natural Helpers Training

8-session program that educates a core group of natural leaders about the consequences of unhealthy risks and choices. The program is designed to teach students communication, decision making and stress reduction tools shown to reduce substance misuse.

Escape the Vape

3-session program that educates students on the health risks of vaping and the negative impact it could have on their life. The students will be able to identify healthy coping skills to deal with stress and will learn and practice refusal skills.

Victory Over Violence

3-session program designed to have participants explore the nature of their human emotions and the tools to express these feelings in healthy ways. The program is appropriate for middle school students.  

Stand Up and Rebel (SUAR)

High school students learn about substance misuse and create awareness campaigns and activities to take back to their respective schools. County Leaders emerge from each school group to form the countywide, youth-led movement whose mission is to reach all Atlantic County youth and empower them to make healthy lifestyle decisions while supporting alcohol, tobacco and drug free social norms.    

Olweus Bullying Prevention Program       

Comprehensive, school-wide program designed for use in elementary, middle or junior high schools. The program has been found to reduce bullying among children, improve the social climate of classrooms and reduce related behaviors; such as vandalism, truancy and substance misuse. APR staff are certified Olweus Bullying Prevention trainers and also provide ongoing assistance to school districts.

Programs for Families and Communities

Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

SFP is an evidence-based parent, youth and family skills building program for youth and their parents or caregivers. It is shown to prevent teen substance use as well as other unhealthy choices. APR provides families with dinner, instruction and activities that improve the communication and coping skills that result in better family management and stronger family bonds. Meals, transportation and child care is provided when necessary for families and incentives are awarded for consistent attendance and completion of the program.

Military Family Nights (MFN)

Family communication and structure are strained with each deployment. The MFN series is based on SFP and families practice communication skills, family meetings, effective discipline, therapeutic child play, reinforcing positive behaviors and jointly planning family activities.​

Achieving Personal Balance (APB)

Military men and women serving multiple tours experience life as a revolving door of war, home and then back to deployment. APB is a gender-specific program designed to develop and apply effective coping strategies to deal with stress at work and home, specifically for men and women who are serving, or have served in the military.

Programs for Seniors and Caretakers​

W.I.S.E- Wellness Initiative for Senior Education

A 6-week program designed to celebrate healthy aging and educate older adults so they are less likely to experience problems associated with alcohol and medications and more likely to make positive lifestyle choices as they age.

Chronic Disease Self-Management Program

A program designed to give participants self-management tools to take care of their health conditions, carry out normal activities, and manage emotional changes. CDSMP is a 6-week, 2 hour per week program facilitated by certified, trained, peer-leaders in the curriculum. The program targets older adults, caregivers, and/or people with disabilities. 

Atlantic County Overdose Fatality Review Team (OFRT)

The mission of the Atlantic County OFRT is to prevent future deaths from drug overdose, through a process of reviewing overdose fatalities to identify gaps in public systems and social services that might have made a difference. Our goal is to reduce overdose fatalities through targeted prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery strategies and programs.

Our Nation’s Opioid Epidemic continues to take lives everyday. In a 12-month period ending in April 2021, 100,000 Americans lost their lives to overdoses. In that same year, 3,081 New Jersey residents died from suspected drug overdoses and in Atlantic County, 188 lives were lost.

The opioid crisis cuts across every segment of society, without regard to class, race, gender, or profession. Nearly 75% of the drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved an opioid. Other drugs are often involved; including alcohol, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Fentanyl is a growing problem and found in a high percentage of all non-prescription drugs.

The OFRT conducts “social autopsies” of those lost to an overdose. Decedents’ lives are strategically reviewed, from potential childhood trauma, to onset of use, to attempts at recovery and ultimately, what led to their deaths. The team honors these lives so that someone else doesn’t have to go through the same challenges. The team examines these cases to gather data to learn how the services for Substance Use Disorder can be improved. The team makes recommendations to improve this system and works to implement these suggestions.

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Sober Living and Oxford House Directory

The directory found below contains information about every sober living house and Oxford House in Atlantic County.

A sober living house refers to group residences for people that are recovering from addiction. The residents agree to remain sober while living in the house.

An Oxford Living House is a self-run, self-supported group house for those recovering from a substance use disorder.

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Grief and Trauma Resources

The Alcove Center offers Family Bereavement Groups with activity-based peer support groups for children, teens and adult caregivers who are grieving the death of a loved one. Children receive care and support in a safe environment where they can express themselves through play, art, storytelling and music.

Peer support groups foster open, honest discussion of the feelings of sadness, fear, anger, and confusion that accompany a loss.

The groups meet every other week throughout the year, with sessions lasting one and a half hours.

An evening begins with sharing a light meal together and then break out into age specific groups for activities and group discussions.

Groups for five age groups are offered: Ages 3-6; Ages 7-10; Ages 11-14; Ages 15-18 and Adult Groups.

Compassionate Friends Atlantic County Chapter

The Compassionate Friends provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a grandchild, and helps others to better assist the grieving family.

The local chapter meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7:30 pm at Grace Lutheran Church in Somers Point.

Herren Project Grief Support Groups

https://herrenproject.org/grief-support-group/

Virtual meetings held on:

Mondays: 8:00 pm

Tuesdays: 6:30 pm & 8:00 pm

Wednesdays: 7:00 pm & 8:00 pm

Herren Project’s addiction grief support group is for individuals grieving from losing a loved one to drug addiction, alcoholism, or a drug overdose.

The grief addiction support group provides a safe place to share experiences about the impact of losing someone to an overdose death or drug and alcohol-related death. All groups are led by licensed clinicians or social workers who specialize in grief counseling. All groups meet on EST and are free.

Partnership to End Addiction:

https://drugfree.org/article/grief-resources-for-families/#Support%20groups

Online Community Grief and Loss Support Group – 4th Tuesday of the Month 1pm-2pm EST / 10am-11am PST

Knowing that every grief journey is different, the Partnership holds space for parents and other caregivers who have lost children of any age to substance use. Join our peer parent coach facilitators who have also lost children to substance use. They offer grief resources, education, support and hope for healing. Register to join us.

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Members of the OFRT