--- title: The Founder’s Corner | Vol. 7 description: Monthly reflections from Align founder Patrick Barrasso on adolescent treatment, the behavioral health industry, and over four decades of helping young men heal. image: https://www.alignrecovery.com/hubfs/A%20whole-family%20healing%20approach.png --- [Skip to Content](https://www.alignrecovery.com/recovery-blog/founders-corner-vol-7#body) [![INB Align Logo3](https://www.alignrecovery.com/hs-fs/hubfs/INB%20Align%20Logo3.png?width=200&height=64&name=INB%20Align%20Logo3.png "INB Align Logo3")](https://www.alignrecovery.com/) Toggle Menu - [About Us](https://www.alignrecovery.com/about-align-adolescent-recovery-program) Toggle children for About Us - [Meet the Team](https://www.alignrecovery.com/meet-our-team-adolescent-treatment-experts) - [Campus Tour](https://www.alignrecovery.com/campus-tour) - [Careers](https://www.alignrecovery.com/careers) - [The Align Approach](https://www.alignrecovery.com/our-approach-teen-recovery) Toggle children for The Align Approach - [The In Balance Behavioral Health Model](https://www.alignrecovery.com/behavioral-health-model) - [Therapeutic Model for Teen Boys](https://www.alignrecovery.com/therapeutic-model-for-teen-boys) - [What to Expect During Treatment](https://www.alignrecovery.com/what-to-expect-in-treatment-at-align-adolescent-recovery) - [Academics](https://www.alignrecovery.com/therapeutic-boarding-school-academics) - [Family Programming](https://www.alignrecovery.com/family-support-teen-treatment) Toggle children for Family Programming - [Resources for Parents](https://www.alignrecovery.com/adolescent-treatment-resources-parents) - [Adventure & Experiential Programming](https://www.alignrecovery.com/experiential-therapy-teen-boys) Toggle children for Adventure & Experiential Programming - [Expeditions](https://www.alignrecovery.com/outdoor-experiences-program) - [Equine Assisted Therapy](https://www.alignrecovery.com/equine-assisted-therapy-for-teens) - [Adolescent Program Admissions](https://www.alignrecovery.com/admissions-teen-residential-treatment) Toggle children for Adolescent Program Admissions - [Schedule a Consultation Call](https://www.alignrecovery.com/schedule-consultation-call-adolescent-treatment) - [Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.alignrecovery.com/faq-adolescent-residential-treatment) - [Insurance & Billing Support](https://www.alignrecovery.com/adolescent-treatment-insurance-verification) - [Adolescent Outcomes & Testimonials](https://www.alignrecovery.com/adolescent-treatment-outcomes-testimonials) - [Teen & Adolescent Resources](https://www.alignrecovery.com/adolescent-mental-health-resources) Toggle children for Teen & Adolescent Resources - [Media Resources](https://www.alignrecovery.com/adolescent-treatment-media-resources) - [Blog](https://www.alignrecovery.com/recovery-blog) - [Contact Us](https://www.alignrecovery.com/contact-align-adolescent-recovery-program) - [520-602-8446](tel:520-602-8446) [520-602-8446](tel:520-602-8446) [back to blog](https://www.alignrecovery.com/recovery-blog) [Teen Boys Behavioral Health](https://www.alignrecovery.com/recovery-blog/topic/teen-boys-behavioral-health) # The Founder’s Corner | Vol. 7 Read Time **6 mins** | Written by: Patrick Barrasso [mailto:?subject=The%20Founder%E2%80%99s%20Corner%20%7C%20Vol.%207&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alignrecovery.com%2Frecovery-blog%2Ffounders-corner-vol-7](mailto:?subject=The%20Founder%E2%80%99s%20Corner%20%7C%20Vol.%207&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alignrecovery.com%2Frecovery-blog%2Ffounders-corner-vol-7) ![teenage son with his parents](https://www.alignrecovery.com/hubfs/A%20whole-family%20healing%20approach.png) Few people in adolescent behavioral health have been at it as long, or with as much personal investment, as Patrick Barrasso. The founder of In Balance Behavioral Health and Align Adolescent Recovery, Patrick has spent decades working alongside adolescents and their families at some of the most difficult moments of their lives. The Founder's Corner is where that experience finds a voice. Each installment, Patrick shares his reflections, observations, and the occasional story from over forty years in a field he has never stopped learning from. --- In 1991, I graduated with my master’s degree in social work. I was an eager young social worker, ready to change the world—and hopefully make enough money along the way to pay my rent. One of my first opportunities was contracting with the Pima County Juvenile Court, my former employer, to run therapeutic groups for young people on probation. Fresh out of graduate school, I was armed with enthusiasm, education, and the absolute conviction that I could make a difference. There was one thing I knew for certain from my studies and clinical training: **Family involvement was the key to long-term success when working with adolescents.** I conducted my groups at a local Boys & Girls Club on the south side of Tucson, in what was, to say the least, a very challenging part of town. I knew getting families involved wouldn’t be easy, but I was young, determined, and convinced I would succeed. I decided to hold a family program once a month. I couldn’t wait for that first family day. I was excited to meet the parents and guardians, provide them with education and support, and help them become part of the solution for their children. The big day arrived. Of the 12 young people in my group, exactly one mother showed up. I was disappointed, but certainly not defeated. I figured I just needed to work harder. For the next family day, approximately 30 days later, I pulled out all the stops. I visited families in their homes. I arranged gas cards to help with transportation. I personally secured commitments from parents and guardians. I was convinced that this time I would have a full house. The second family day arrived. Two parents showed up. What I remember most wasn’t my own disappointment. It was the disappointment I saw in the faces of the young people I was working with. That was heartbreaking. Unfortunately, things never really changed. Looking back, I can’t be too hard on those parents. Virtually all the young people I worked with came from families living at or near the poverty line. Many of those parents were doing everything they could simply to survive their circumstances. Attending a family program, even when they loved their children deeply, wasn’t always something they could manage. But that experience reinforced something I had learned in graduate school and would carry with me throughout my career: **We cannot effectively treat young people without recognizing the importance of their families.** ### **Fast-Forward 15 Years** When we developed our approach at Align Adolescent Recovery, that lesson remained at the center of my thinking. I knew that if we were going to help adolescents struggling with substance use and mental health challenges achieve lasting success, we had to do more than provide excellent clinical care to the young people themselves. We had to embrace their families. Over the years, we have worked to develop what I believe is one of the most comprehensive and robust family programs in the country. And we continue to invest in it because family participation isn’t an optional addition to treatment. It is a fundamental part of our treatment philosophy. Today, our family program includes: • **Parent support groups** that allow families to connect, share experiences, and learn from one another. • **Educational webinars** designed to give parents practical knowledge and tools to support their children’s recovery. • **The Other Parents Like Me platform**, an extraordinary resource that connects our families with other parents navigating similar challenges. It offers online meetings every day. • **Two additional monthly parent support groups** facilitated by a contracted therapist. • **A dedicated parent liaison** who connects with every family we serve, providing guidance, support, and a personal connection throughout their journey. • **Weekly family therapy** to help families improve communication, rebuild relationships, and work through challenges together. • **Two intensive family weekends** for every family, providing opportunities for meaningful therapeutic work, education, and connection. • **An Al-Anon meeting** to provide additional support and fellowship. • **A monthly sibling support group**, recognizing that brothers and sisters are also affected and deserve attention and support. Each of these components serves an important purpose. Together, they reflect a philosophy that has guided my work for more than three decades. **Our families are every bit as important to us as the young people we treat.** ### **Why Family Matters** When a young person enters treatment, we have an opportunity to create meaningful change. We can help them develop insight, build healthy relationships, take responsibility for their choices, and begin living according to a new set of values. But treatment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Eventually, our young people must take what they’ve learned and apply it to their lives outside our program. Their families can play an enormous role in helping them sustain that progress. Parents need support, too. They need opportunities to learn, to develop healthy boundaries, to rebuild trust, and sometimes to make significant changes in how they relate to their children. And perhaps most importantly, they need to know they are not alone. One of the greatest benefits of our family program is watching parents who initially arrive feeling overwhelmed and isolated begin to develop relationships with other families. They discover that other parents understand their experiences, their fears, and their hopes. Those relationships can become an invaluable source of strength long after their children complete treatment. Research on adolescent substance use treatment supports the importance of family-based approaches and family engagement. My own clinical experience has reinforced that lesson time and time again. ### **A Lesson That Has Never Changed** Today, more than three decades after graduating from social work school, I find myself reflecting on that eager young social worker who believed he could change the world. I still believe in the same fundamental principle I believed in back in 1991. Family is the key. The difference today is that I have decades of clinical experience, a dedicated team of professionals, and 22 years of working with young people and their families to reinforce that belief. Founder’s Corner • Family Is the Key • 3 I am incredibly proud of the family program we have developed. But more than anything, I am humbled by and grateful for the families we have the privilege of serving. I see parents who refuse to give up on their children. I see families who are willing to examine their own behaviors, make difficult changes, establish healthy boundaries, and do the hard work necessary to support their children’s recovery. Their commitment inspires me. We can provide the clinical expertise, the therapeutic environment, and the opportunities for transformation. But our families are essential partners in making that transformation last. When I look back at the successes we’ve experienced over the past 22 years, I know that much of the credit belongs to the parents and families who have worked so hard right alongside us and their children. To every family that has entrusted us with your child, thank you. Thank you for your courage, your commitment, and your willingness to do the work. **The young social worker I was in 1991 believed that family involvement was the key to success. The social worker I am today believes it more strongly than ever.** ***Family is the key.*** ## Framework Will Help You Grow Your Business With Little Effort. [Get Started](https://www.example.com) ![](https://www.alignrecovery.com/hubfs/Patrick%20Barrasso.jpeg) [mailto:null](mailto:null) ##### Patrick Barrasso Share the Love [mailto:?subject=The%20Founder%E2%80%99s%20Corner%20%7C%20Vol.%207&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alignrecovery.com%2Frecovery-blog%2Ffounders-corner-vol-7](mailto:?subject=The%20Founder%E2%80%99s%20Corner%20%7C%20Vol.%207&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alignrecovery.com%2Frecovery-blog%2Ffounders-corner-vol-7) You May Like These ## Related Articles ![](https://www.alignrecovery.com/hubfs/raw_assets/public/@marketplace/Lynton/Framework/assets/images/resource-img1.png) Case Study ### [Headline Goes Here Lorem Ipsum](https://www.example.com) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet dolor, elit consectetuer adipiscing elit. Nullam malesuada erat ut. 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