Donald Gunther and Mark Sanders
In part I of this two-part series we shared our personal stories of growing up as children of fathers with substance use disorders. We shared the challenges, resilience we developed and ultimately how the experience played a role in helping us discover our purpose as professionals working in the substance use disorders profession. We believe the entire community can help African American Children of Parents with substance use disorders thrive. Below are our recommendations.
What families of African American Children with Parents With Substance Use Disorders Can Do.
Donald’s View
The African American child’s behaviors in response to parental addiction are seen but who cares about and focuses on the underlying conditions that causes the anger, resentment , mental health issues , poverty, suffering including , the absence hot water , heat and or basic needs. As mentioned in part I of this series, the children’s behavior in response to parental addiction is often punished and criminalized. We believe there are things the family can do to begin the process of healing thyself.
Families are a system! African American families often have an extended family orientation. When children are impacted by parental addiction, we encourage the other adults including aunts, uncles, cousins etc. to spend time with the children. When appropriate, clinicians can meet with and encourage non-drug using relatives, aunts, uncles etc. to spend time with the children. African American families often define family broad enough to include non-biological relatives. They too can be a great source of support for the children.
Hindsight, when growing up we often would hear it takes a Village to raise a child. The village would consist of community based organizations which included school districts, churches, coaches , recreational organizations and families biological and non-biological. This village would be beneficial to African American children as well.
Mark’s View
African Americans celebrate many holidays and events common across cultures in the United States including: Christmas, New Years, Labor Day, birthdays, anniversaries etc. We also have holiday’s unique to African American culture such as Kwanzaa and Juneteenth. Professionals working with African American families with parental substance use disorders can encourage the family to continue with these celebrations in spite of the addiction. Research indicates that in families that continue with celebration even when there is active addiction, the children have less negative symptoms. Across cultures there are very few non-drug use holiday celebrations. Children often emulate what they see adults do. Thus, children of parents with substance use disorders are three times more likely to develop a substance use disorder. Click here for examples of drug free celebrations for African American families.
https://attcnetwork.org/centers/great-lakes-attc/news/counselors-corner-drug-free-holiday-celebrations-african-americans
What Schools Can Do
Donald’s View
The school system can introduce evidence-based curriculum that can help the children with healing from parental substance use disorders. The curriculum should express Compassion and empathy of what the children are going through. After school programs and mentorship programs can also be helpful. Many of the children feel like they’re alone. After school programming and mentorship can let them know that they are not alone. One example is C.U.C.D, A program I developed in Westchester County New York, which provided services for African American children, some of whom were impacted by parental substance use disorders. For 10 years C.U.C.D taught life skills to children in an after-school setting. The curriculum emphasized integrity, dedicated discipline, and the persistence it takes to succeed. Schools could provide evidence-based curriculum in collaboration with a Certified Connecticut Community Addiction Recovery Coach Professional Facilitator and Certified Peer Specialists Mental Health and clinical professionals. The three evidence-based curriculums below would be the start of Forgiveness, Acceptance, and dealing with parental substance use and trauma.
Mark’s View
I really agree with you Donald on the role schools, after school programs and mentors can play in helping African American Children of parents with substance use disorders. Years ago, the renowned Dr. Claudia Black created coloring books and stories to help children of parents with substance use disorders. I believe in the curriculum it is important for African American Children to see images of themselves in the community. If they live in New York City, the westside of Chicago or in a predominant African American small town in Mississippi, the curriculum should address these experiences. Research says that afterschool programs can be therapeutic and children who have regular contact with mentors use fewer drugs, better grades, and demonstrate less violence than kids who do not have contact with mentors. In the height of the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980’s and 90’s, which had a devastating impact on African American Children, an African American Church on the southside of Chicago created a program called One Church One School. Members of the congregation provided weekly mentorship for children in the school. The program achieved great success.
Conclusion
Children have two homes, where they live and where they go to school. If one fails them, they have the other. If both fail them……In this post, we have outlined things families and schools can do to help the children. We invite you, the reader, to add to our list of suggestions and recommendations. In part III of this series, we will highlight things the broader community can do to help African American children of parents with substance use disorders flourish.