Since 2022, the Adolescent Addiction Recovery Center, located at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Troy, has been helping youth and families in crisis.
Over the past two and a half years, the Adolescent Addiction Recovery Center (AARC) has been filling a critical gap in Michigan’s addiction and mental health landscape. With the support of the Jamie Daniels Foundation, the AARC was established and continues to grow its impact, treating youth and families struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental health issues—regardless of their ability to pay.
“Addiction starts during adolescence and creates heartbreaking issues for the individuals and families affected,” says Dr. Matt LaCasse, a general psychiatrist who specializes in both child and adolescent psychiatry as well as addiction psychiatry.
The AARC is not only saving lives, but working toward long-term solutions, including expanded services, community outreach, and future treatment sites.
Meeting a Growing Need
The opioid epidemic—now compounded by the deadly spread of fentanyl—continues to devastate communities. Meanwhile, cannabis dependency is rising among youth, fueled by easy access to vape products. These trends are not just statistics; they’re showing up in the lives of adolescents in Michigan who are struggling with experimental use, entrenched addiction, and serious co-occurring mental health issues.
The AARC, established in 2022 by Dr. LaCasse, was created in direct response to the urgent need for specialized adolescent care in southeast Michigan. The Center offers comprehensive, evidence-based treatment tailored to youth with substance use disorders and co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses. This includes care for conditions like depression, PTSD, anxiety, psychosis, and bipolar disorder, alongside support for family conflict and disconnection.
Removing Barriers to Care
What sets the AARC apart is its commitment to treating every young person in need—regardless of insurance or financial means. In a system where mental health and addiction services are often limited by provider availability or cost, the AARC’s model ensures no one is turned away. That mission is made possible in part by funding from the Jamie Daniels Foundation.
“Providing care to everyone and anyone without discrimination or compromising the care that is needed is a true foundational concept of the AARC,” Dr. LaCasse says.
Dr. LaCasse and his team use a therapeutic model grounded in evidence-based practices like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy. Treatment plans are highly personalized and designed to meet both short-term needs—such as detox support—and long-term goals, including emotional healing and sobriety maintenance.
Focused on Healing, Growth, and Expansion
Since opening, the AARC has treated nearly 100 patients and their families. The clinic now has the capacity to serve up to 50 patient visits per week, supported by ongoing outreach and awareness efforts. Continued growth to meet the need is a key goal for the coming year: maintaining strong patient retention, supporting long-term sobriety, and building connections to personal values and family relationships.
The AARC is also expanding its role in community education—offering family nights, school-based assemblies, and participation in local and national forums to reduce stigma and promote prevention. The clinic now serves as a training site for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry fellows from Wayne State University, with hopes to eventually launch school-based programs and even an adolescent-specific residential facility.
A Model for the Future
The Center’s long-term sustainability plan focuses on increasing clinic volume and eventually adding a second therapist to meet demand. The AARC’s leadership is also actively working to publish data and outcomes to encourage replication of the model in other communities.
Ultimately, the AARC’s impact is measured one life at a time. Whether it’s a student passing their chemistry exam, a child reconnecting with their family, or a teen choosing to walk away from a deadly dose of fentanyl—these moments are at the heart of the center’s mission.
Thanks to the Jamie Daniels Foundation’s support, the AARC is helping young people reclaim their futures—and showing that recovery is not only possible, but within reach.
