Palisades Father, Daughter Advocate in D.C.

Silvermans Educate Congress About Troubled Youth, Mental Health Issues

One night a few years ago two members of Uinta Academy, a Utah-based boarding and treatment facility for at-risk girls, showed up at Palisadian Cora Silverman’s house and removed her to receive mandatory counseling and addiction treatment at her parents’ behest. Cora was 14 years old at the time.

Flash forward to Thursday, June 19, and Silverman, now 18, was in Washington, D.C. with her father Jay. The pair were advocating on behalf of Uinta Academy to California politicians in Congress, as well as to the offices of U.S. senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.

The Silvermans were joined by a delegation of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) in an effort to educate members of Congress about troubled youth and mental health issues.

Cora only finished her 2011 freshman year at Palisades High School before being sent away that summer for treatment at Uinta Academy. Cora cited what she called a growing party and sex culture within the high school for her troubles.

“Around age 13 was when I started doing drugs,” Cora told the Post. She said the majority of freshmen her age weren’t “getting into trouble,” but it was hanging out with the seniors and sometimes college students that led her to alcohol and drug abuse.

During her two years at Uinta Academy, Cora received treatment for more than just substance abuse. The program offers a comprehensive treatment plan, including the psychological, cognitive, emotional and social aspects of a girl’s life.

“It was definitely somewhere to go to help with my substance abuse and addiction,” Cora said. “It also helps with pressure and becoming emotionally stable, and learning how to make mistakes and accept the consequences.”

Cora’s father Jay said it was beneficial for members of Congress to hear the first-hand experiences of a father and daughter going through such a program rather than just hearing the same boilerplate lobbyist advocacy.

“There’s nothing like this [program] in California,” Jay told the Post.

Jay, a filmmaker, is currently in post-production on a film – Girl on the Edge starring Peter Coyote and Mackenzie Phillips – which mirrors Cora’s two-year journey through Uinta Academy.

Jay said he thinks the film will help parents understand “there are remedies to dealing with the stress that challenges children.”

According to Cora, “It’s so easy to get into the drug environment. I just hope people can find happiness in other things because life is so much better without drugs.”