About Big Island Substance Abuse Council – Kohala High School
Big Island Substance Abuse Council (BISAC) at Kohala High School is a school based substance use treatment and prevention program in Kapaau, Hawaii, offering confidential outpatient support for adolescents.
Located on campus at 543611 Akoni Pule Highway, the program provides counseling, prevention education and referrals to higher levels of care when needed. BISAC’s mission is to help students build prosocial behaviors and embrace the benefits of a clean and sober lifestyle through compassionate, youth centered care.
Adolescent Programs and Levels of Care at BISAC Kohala
Services typically begin with a confidential assessment following school or self referral, helping counselors understand each student’s needs and recommend the right path forward. The Kohala High School program offers outpatient substance use counseling with relapse prevention support, along with connections to BISAC’s broader continuum of care across Hawaii.
Students can expect evidence based approaches such as school based motivational enhancement services, which help resolve ambivalence about change, along with vaping support groups and prevention workshops. Programming also extends to parents and school staff, creating a supportive network around each student.
Quick Facts About BISAC at Kohala High School
BISAC at Kohala High School is located on campus at Kohala High School in Kapaau on Hawaii’s Big Island. Levels of care include outpatient counseling, prevention education and referral to higher levels of care.
The program treats high school and intermediate school students, including those using substances and those seeking education. Its approach includes motivational enhancement, confidential client centered counseling and vaping support groups. Participation is free, with financial aid available through BISAC’s broader services.
Extras may include off campus activities with meals, snacks and transportation. Services are protected under federal confidentiality rules for substance use records.
Getting Started In Kapaau
Students, families, or school staff can initiate services through a school referral or student self referral, with appointments scheduled conveniently on the Kohala High School campus in Kapaau. The BISAC team can explain available programs, confidentiality protections and pathways into higher levels of care when appropriate.
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Gayle Morris, BSN, MSN
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Financial aid can take many forms. Centers may have grants or scholarships available to clients who meet eligibility requirements. Programs that receive SAMHSA grants may have financial aid available for those who need treatment as well. Grants and scholarships can help you pai for treatment without having to repay.
FreeAddiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Outpatient Programs (OP) are for those seeking mental rehab or drug rehab, but who also stay at home every night. The main difference between outpatient treatment (OP) and intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) lies in the amount of hours the patient spends at the facility. Most of the time an outpatient program is designed for someone who has completed an inpatient stay and is looking to continue their growth in recovery. Outpatient is not meant to be the starting point, it is commonly referred to as aftercare.
Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Treatments
The goal of treatment for alcoholism is abstinence. Those with poor social support, poor motivation, or psychiatric disorders tend to relapse within a few years of treatment. For these people, success is measured by longer periods of abstinence, reduced use of alcohol, better health, and improved social functioning. Recovery and Maintenance are usually based on 12 step programs and AA meetings.
Drug rehab in Hawaii is for individuals suffering from substance use disorders. Treatment addresses the many issues involved with addiction, typically through a combination of medical and psychotherapy treatments.
A combined mental health and substance abuse rehab has the staff and resources available to handle individuals with both mental health and substance abuse issues. It can be challenging to determine where a specific symptom stems from (a mental health issue or an issue related to substance abuse), so mental health and substance abuse professionals are helpful in detangling symptoms and keeping treatment on track.
Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.
Clinical Services
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.
Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.
Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.
In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.
Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical approach to helping people with substance abuse issues and other conditions shift behavior in positive ways. It is more goal-oriented than traditional psychotherapy, as MI counselors directly attempt to get clients to consider making behavioral change (rather than wait for them to come to conclusions themselves). Its primary purpose is to resolve ambivalence and help clients become able to make healthy choices freely.
Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.
Staff & Accreditations
Staff
Dr. Hannah Preston-Pita, Psy. D., Ed. D., CSAC
CEO
Kimberly Lin, BA
Director of Operations
Leilani Kerr, APRN
Medical Director
Tracy Tampos, CSAC
Substance Abuse Director
Kauionalani Fukuda
Mental Health Director
Nicole Dageenakis, MA
Addictions Care Manager
Sandy Ramos
Director of Support Services
Channtal Hollins
Compliance Officer
Accreditations
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1992 by congress, SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on American's communities.
SAMHSA Listed: Yes
State Licenses are permits issued by government agencies that allow rehab organizations to conduct business legally within a certain geographical area. Typically, the kind of program a rehab facility offers, along with its physical location, determines which licenses are required to operate legally.
State License: Hawaii
Contact Information
54-3611 Akoni Pule Highway
Kapaau, HI 96755
Get Help Now - 808-762-6426
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