This project arises from the community need for training of individuals seeking Substance Abuse Counselor Certification. The Kahua Ola Hou Wellness Center addresses the needs of young substance abuse recoverees and those identified as high risk. It is a short-term pu’uhonua (safe haven) and kahua ola hou (place of life-saving recovery) designed to prevent and reduce substance abuse and violence for Molokai youth and their families. The program is guided by Native Hawaiian values and provides substance abuse, violence prevention, and early intervention services through ho’oponopono (Hawaiian mediation). Molokai has three outpatient drug treatment facilities in operation, but no residential program exists on island. In the absence of a residential facility on-island, individuals court-ordered to enroll in a residential program are required to go off-island. This prospect is particularly problematic for youth who are removed from their home island and cultural setting. Furthermore, lack of support mechanisms and access to counselors once youth are returned to Molokai cause set-backs or undo recovery. Alu Like’s Kahua Ola Hou program was established to address these challenges but without further training and certification will remain limited to prevention and intervention functions.

Kahua Ola Hou wellness counselors require additional training and certification to conduct treatment work and meet Department of Health Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division (ADAD) requirements using the Twelve Core Functions with culturally sensitive approaches offered through their PONO curriculum. Kahua Ola Hou counselors are skilled primarily in prevention and intervention work. The next steps necessary for qualifying Kahua Ola Hou for treatment work is to upgrade counselors’ educational and experiential skills for certification in substance abuse; integrate cultural service learning projects as part of a customized part of its program with youth recoverees; clinical supervision and oversight in finalizing Kahua Ola Hou’s PONO curriculum for State Department of Health ADAD certification; and site visits to off-island treatment facilities for ADAD compliance training and as a means of networking for referrals of clients needing additional assistance.

Cultural Classes

RDP sponsored four (4) cultural classes in the following topics: (1) Taro Farming Techniques, (2) Methods in Non-Instrumental Navigation, (3) Loko I`a Aquaculture, and (4) Traditional Fishing Techniques. These one-week workshops were provided to enhance counselor skills in the establishment of cultural service learning projects for youth substance abuse recoverees.

College Courses

RDP partnered with the MCC – Molokai Education Center to schedule courses that would count as educational credit hours for Substance Abuse Counselor Certification. RDP covered instructor fees for SOSER 140 Counseling and Interviewing Techniques (3 credits) offered during the Spring 2006 semester and HSER 245 Group Counseling (3 credits) scheduled during the Fall 2006 semester at the MCC Molokai Education Center.

Clinical Supervision

RDP hired a clinical supervisor to oversee counseling activities of participants, conduct direct supervision with integration of ADAD standards using 12 Core Functions with culturally sensitive approaches offered through Kahua Ola Hou’s PONO Curriculum. This experiential portion of the training shall qualify participants for hours towards substance abuse counselor certification as well as meet eligibility criteria for status of Kahua Ola Hou as Molokai’s first treatment facility. This is a significant and pivotal step towards providing critical substance abuse treatment to youth who heretofore had not been served or were forced to enter treatment at facilities on neighboring islands.

Site Visits to Treatment Centers Statewide

RDP is sponsoring and handling travel procurement for Kahua Ola Hou staff site visits to various treatment centers off-island for ADAD training compliance, customized program development for treatment certification, and peer networking for provision of appropriate referrals for clients needing additional assistance.

A total of 10 participants have been served in this training. Key partners involved were Alu Like, Inc. and its Kahua Ola Hou program and the MCC – Molokai Education Center.