Archived Program: Steps Toward Adult Responsibility (STAR)
The
Steps Toward Adult Responsibility (STAR) Program, assists
teens in meeting the challenges that both adolescence and chronic health
conditions pose. The mission of STAR is to promote the healthy psychological
and social development for adolescents with chronic physical health conditions
and facilitate the integration of these issues into the medical care plan.
We serve adolescents thirteen years of age and older who have chronic
medical conditions including, but not limited to, cancer, diabetes, Crohn's
disease/colitis, asthma, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, seizure disorders,
spina bifida, cystic fibrosis, cardiology conditions and cerebral palsy.
The STAR Program is a collaboration between the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD), the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School, and the Hood Center for Children & Families.
Any teenager (between 13 and 18 years old) living with a chronic physical health condition is eligible to be a STAR teen. All parents of teens with chronic illnesses are invited to participate in STAR, as are Dartmouth College students, also living with chronic conditions, who help organize events and mentor teens.
History
The STAR program was established in 1996 at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. However, it would not exist without Phyllis Wilson, Ed.D., the benefactor of STAR. Phyllis was a resident of Hanover, NH. Her daughter, Phyllis Ruth Wilson, contracted Polio as a child and became physically disabled. Based on her own experience as a mother and therapist, she envisioned a program that would give young people with a chronic illness the chance to make adolescence a rich and positive experience.
Phyllis helped to name and design the program which contains three primary components. These include:
For Teens & Their Parents: 
• Clinical Services: Teens and their parents can benefit from psychosocial evaluation and short-term psychological treatment
• Social Support: Teens and their parents can also benefit from peer-based support systems and mentoring from Dartmouth students, also living with a chronic health condition
For Professionals:
• Education: STAR creates and participates in educational programs designed for professionals and caregivers involved in the medical/education/family management of adolescents with chronic health conditions
Research: In addition to the three primary components listed above, the STAR Program continues to perform program evaluations and pursue collaborative research opportunities whenever it is appropriate. The STAR program contributes to the academic fund of knowledge regarding adolescents with chronic physical health conditions in every way possible, as time and funding permits.
STAR activities for teens and their parents
STAR
dinner meetings give teens a chance to have
dinner and discuss aspects of living with a chronic illness. One STAR
teen explains that dinner groups are important because "there is
a lot we can learn from each other's experiences." A Dartmouth STAR
mentor notes that dinner meetings are "nice because there isn't a
negative connotation put on having an illness; it's more like a badge
we all wear together...the groups help empower the teens to be positive
about their lives." Another STAR mentor comments, "It can be
interesting to hear different people think about their health conditions/disabilities.
For some people, it's a big part of their identities; for others, it's
no more so than their eye color." Bringing groups of teenagers and
young adults together to talk on a regular basis is a meaningful experience
for everyone involved.
There are also STAR dinner meetings for parents, occurring
at the same time as the teen dinner meetings, giving parents the opportunity
to relate to others about raising a child with a chronic illness. Parent
dinner meetings are led by Anne Baird, MSW, a CHaD pediatric social worker,
and have been extremely successful over the past several years.
Annual Retreat:
Perhaps one of the most well-received activities offered by STAR is the yearly retreat. Each spring STAR teens participate in a retreat, spending one or two days together as a group. This past year the retreat was held at the Hanover Lutheran Church, and the whole group spent time playing mini-golf, going swimming, and much more!
Social Activities with Mentors:
In
addition to the dinner meetings and retreat, there are a variety of social
activities sponsored by STAR. Dartmouth students and STAR teens work together
to plan these events, ranging from visiting caves to canoeing to Dartmouth
sporting events, and more. 
There is a nominal fee for most STAR activities. Dinner groups are $5 per person per night, but there is a $10 maximum per family if both parents come on the same night. Other activities are generally about $4-6 per event. The STAR retreat (which usually takes place in May) was $25 last year and will probably be approximately the same cost this year. Families concerned about finances should contact the program coordinator.
STAR Contact Information:
STAR Program
Jessy LaValley, Program Manager
Hood Center for Children and Families
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
1 Medical Center Drive
Lebanon, NH 03756
(603) 653-1495 (phone) (603) 653-1479 (fax)
For more information about STAP program, contact the program at the number
listed above, or check out thier website at
www.starprogram.net
University of New Hampshire - Pettee Hall - 55 College Road - Durham, NH 03824