Sunday's Internet Edition, September 07, 2008.

A man is standing on the beach where several starfish have washed ashore. He is picking them up, one by one, tossing them back into the surf.

A woman walks by and, seeing the hopeless task ahead of him, as well as many more starfish down the shoreline, says, “You’ll never be able to save them all.”

“No,” he answers.

“But I can save this one,” he adds, tossing the starfish he just picked up back into the sea.

It’s a story Kimberly Mertz keeps in mind in her role as the newest foot solider in the war on teenage drug and alcohol abuse. It’s a war filled with frustrations, where battles are fought one at a time.

“If you can make a difference in just one person’s life, or the decisions they make, it’s worth it,” she said.

As substance abuse liaison for Westbrook Health Services, she visits schools and talks to middle and high school students in Roane, Calhoun and Jackson counties.

She is not a counselor, although that is part of her long-range plan, having started the process of becoming a certified addictions counselor.

Her role now is in outreach, helping steer students into programs where they can find the help they need.

“Rather than waiting for the students to come to us for help, the idea is to have someone in the schools to connect them with services, to be a link,” Mertz said.

The Westbrook office located on W.Va. 36 just south of Spencer serves Roane and Calhoun counties with programs that include therapy and counseling for individuals and family members.

Westbrook also offers group sessions for adolescents with intense substance abuse or anger management programs. Some groups meet up to three times a week.

Parents can even bring their son or daughter in for drug screens.

In Parkersburg, Westbrook offers an inpatient detox center.

Services are billed to Medicaid or most types of insurance, and fee waivers are offered to those who can’t afford the programs.

“Hopefully, financial reasons aren’t an obstacle in getting services,” Metz said.

Westbrook does not offer services at the schools, and students must have parental permission to participate in any of the counseling programs.

But before any counseling can begin, it’s Mertz’s job to get the word out about the programs the non-profit behavioral health agency has to offer.

Mertz graduated from Roane County High School in 2003 and completed a double major in psychology and communication studies in three years at W.Va. Wesleyan College.

She worked in the program for developmentally disabled adults at Westbrook before the agency was awarded a grant for the new outreach program.

She started training for her new position in January in Parkersburg and attended adolescent substance abuse groups, AA meetings, and DUI courses and visited a halfway house to learn about addiction and treatments.

Since early March she has been visiting schools in the three counties, presenting programs to classrooms on alcohol abuse. She has already spoken to over 1,000 students in grades 7 through 12.

Mertz said faculty and administrators in the three counties have been receptive to the program, which makes it easier to reach students.

Mertz said her first presentations focus on the problems of alcohol abuse, and ways of recognizing signs of addiction. She said the data shared with the students emphasizes the number who choose to avoid drug and alcohol use, instead of its popularity.

“People don’t realize how much stress this age group is under,” she said. “Between dating, chores, sports, grades, families and transitioning to high school and college, they experience a high level of stress. Some of them may end up using alcohol or drugs as an escape.”

For those who make that mistake, Mertz said there is a real need for what Westbrook has to offer.

“As a whole, the community is probably not aware of the problem of substance abuse, even among adolescents,” she said. “Some of the situations are pretty sad.”

Mertz said she assures students any comments they make to her remain confidential. If a student opts to enter a treatment or counseling program, their parents are contacted for permission.

Parents or students with questions about the program or services that are offered may contact Mertz at 927-5200, extension 420.