The Centre for Counselling Addiction Support Alternatives (CASA) is a non-profit, non-governmental (NGO) community-based Substance Abuse Treatment Centre established in 2000 with the purpose of helping individuals and families experiencing substance abuse and related and other problems.
It is a non-residential facility and caters to children, adolescents and adults ages 10 and upwards who are experiencing difficulties with legal drugs such as alcohol and illegal drugs such e.g. marijuana, cocaine or other.
(C.A.S.A) is providing crisis intervention community-based prevention, treatment and rehabilitation to persons experiencing substance abuse and related problems regardless of culture, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual preference, disability or social status in Barbados.
After the initial visit of CASA headquarters in the last week of January 2020, the Dean of Basic Sciences Dr.Alexey Podcheko invited CASA representatives to meet with AUIS faculty and students. On Feb 5th 2020, representatives of CASA (Ms. J. Maynard – Chairman; Mr. O. Jones; Mr. Smith –Directors of Board of Trustees and Counselors, Volunteers Ms. Omega Cox and Ms. Kimmel Harper) have visited AUIS. After an initial tour of the campus, faculty and SGA representatives had a one hour talk on how AUIS can help CASA . Mr. O.Jones outlined that CASA is looking for:
- Volunteer support: currently they need volunteers for participation in
- counseling sessions (time slots available for morning, afternoon and evening sessions, as well as some of Saturdays). Mr. Smith mentioned that this is a unique opportunity for students to learn how to interview and perform an initial assessment of patients with drug addiction problems. Volunteers will be shadowing of counselors and helping them keeping notes of counseling sessions and participate in the discussion of the treatment and management of patients.
- CASA is looking for volunteers who can help to maintain and improve CASA website (casa.bb)
- Fundraising for CASA
- The help of AUIS faculty to initiate research projects based on the data accumulated in CASA for the last 20 years.
Pictures: CASA representatives, AUIS professors and SGA representative discussing how AUIS can contribute to CASA.
