By Ben Lerner · Clinically reviewed by Kris Blount, Clinical Director
If you have an open DCS case and a drug or alcohol problem, you may be afraid that going to rehab will be used against you, or that it’s already too late to get your children back. Those fears keep a lot of parents from getting help.
Often the exact opposite is true. One father we worked with arrived with a DCS case, pending charges, and a court that had already decided he could not safely parent his children. Recently he walked out of a courtroom with custody. What changed the outcome was what he could put in front of the judge.
Here is how our Parenting in Recovery program builds that proof, followed by my conversation with lead case manager Brandy Simons, LADAC, who runs it with her colleague Tarra Lyttle, about his story and what treatment programs can actually do for parents.
What the Program Covers
Brandy and Tarra facilitate Parenting in Recovery classes every week. Clients work through a structured curriculum covering:
- Healthy child development
- Communication
- Emotional regulation
- Household management
- Relapse prevention through the lens of parenting
Clients complete a comprehensive workbook and build a formal safety plan. When they finish, they receive a certificate and a letter Brandy writes directly to DCS and their legal representatives.
Why the Paper Trail Matters
The documentation is the point. It turns weeks of behavioral change into something a judge can hold in their hands.
Programs like this remain uncommon. Most facilities focus solely on sobriety and leave clients without the documentation they need to fight for their families in court. Brandy and Tarra are tracking outcomes so they can demonstrate the program’s effectiveness in family court cases, and Willow Grove intends to expand it.
A Conversation With Brandy Simons
Tell me about the father who just got custody of his children back.
When he walked through our doors, he had nothing but the clothes on his back. He had a DCS case, pending charges, and a court that had already decided he could not safely parent his children. I have been doing this work long enough to recognize the weight of the moment. The odds stacked against someone before they have even started.
What did the work look like for him?
I met with this client every week. I watched him do the work. He came in broken and left prepared. He completed every assignment. He engaged in every session. He did not perform recovery for the benefit of the court. He actually changed.
Was there anything outside the classes that made a difference?
He found something here I did not design into any curriculum. He worked on our cleaning crew. He spent time with our animals, feeding the goats and chickens, caring for something outside himself. He built friendships with other clients and with our staff. He wrote about it in his testimonial:
“I’ve enjoyed every minute of being here from growing as a person and a father, enjoyed feeding the goats and chickens, to running and working on the cleaning crew, also the family I developed.”
That word: family. He came in with no one and built something here. That matters clinically. A person who has experienced belonging is better equipped to provide it.
What did he say helped him most?
He wrote this:
“What helped the most was the staff here. I felt comfortable enough to open up and talk about my problems to the point where I gathered tools for my toolbox so I can take them in my recovery.”
A toolbox. That is what Tarra and I try to give every client. Concrete skills. Documented learning. Something they can carry out the door.
What happened in court?
When he completed the program, I handed him his certification and his letter for DCS. I knew what was in that folder: every session, every assignment, every piece of evidence that this man had genuinely learned how to be a different kind of father.
He showed up to the courtroom wearing a beautiful suit. He proudly showcased the completion of the course and shared what he learned. The judge was impressed with the safety plan, the workbook, and the curriculum he had completed with us. The judge granted him custody of his children and imposed a significantly more lenient sentence than anyone anticipated.
Without the client completing this program, those children would be in foster care.
Why does this work matter to you?
A father has his children. A family stayed together because of documentation we built and a man who did the work to deserve it.
That is why I do this.
Start With a Free Phone Assessment
If you’re a parent with an open DCS case, call us. Our admissions team offers a free phone assessment and can help you figure out what kind of care fits. If you’re trying to help someone else, read our guide on how to get someone into rehab.
Call (931) 410-6400 any time, 24/7. Willow Grove accepts Ambetter, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and UnitedHealthcare, and admissions can check your coverage on the call.
