Who doesn’t want to become a better version of themselves? Ashley Moffatt decided she wanted a better life for herself and signed up for the intensive 18 month program at Coweta County’s Family Treatment Court (FTC) to achieve sobriety and restore her family.
“If I am willing to put the work into it, I can achieve anything” she says after successfully reaching the final phase of FTC. Their son is home again with his parents after being in foster care. Her graduation is on track for this December and her plans then include serving as a peer mentor for others working the program. She knows firsthand the benefits she and her family received by accomplishing the goals of each phase. Her partner Chris started the program shortly after she did and he is on track to graduate as well. From the start of their participation, Ashley and Chris were “unemployed, thinking and behaving like addicts” to now “having jobs, a home and new car because of the choices we made.” She adds FTC offers no guarantees but provides the tools needed to reach their goals.
Mandatory requirements for participants include group and individual counseling sessions, random drug screens, nightly curfews, weekly attendance at AA/NA meetings and a weekly program fee. Parenting classes are required by the child protection worker and everyone must find and keep employment in order to graduate. Sanctions are enforced for noncompliance and serve as an accountability component to motivate instead of punish participants. Celebrations and incentives such as gift cards, admission tickets and gas cards encourage compliance. Either having a high school diploma or obtaining a GED is also required. FTC staff encourages additional education. “We try to get them to go to tech school or university and further their education,” reports FTC Accountability Court Manager, Jennifer Barnett. “Most of the people we deal with have suffered childhood trauma and FTC is a holistic treatment program” adds Barnett. “We help them develop the skills they need instead of just telling them what to do” says Marlowe Dix, Court Coordinator.
Connecting with artistic abilities to express themselves is another opportunity recommended by Coweta’s FTC. Participants may take advantage of the free services of Backstreet Community Arts in downtown Newnan which provides a safe, welcoming, creative environment to anyone who may benefit from the healing powers of art and community. Inside the innovative and brightly colored space is their battle cry “Art Saves Lives” painted on the wall. Ashley utilizes the writer’s corner and painting sessions and Sarina and Josh use mixed media on canvases as well as making leather handiwork. The National Institutes for Health reports better health outcomes for patients engaging in visual arts therapy, expressive writing, music and movement-based creative expression.