Eunice Sheppard, Facilitator
SPARK was founded in 1971 to deal with a drug emergency in the New York City public high schools. The program pioneered intervention and prevention approaches that were specifically designed for an adolescent population. The SPARK process went beyond the surface symptoms to identify underlying psychological causes.
SPARK countered substance abuse with supportive counseling and positive peer influence. Open and forthright communication cut through defense and denial. Young adults clarified their values and altered their problem-solving strategies. SPARK produced “significant behavioral change.”
SPARK empowers adolescents through information about drugs and alcohol, counselor/peer empathy, sharing experience, and coping together with pain and guilt. It empowers adolescents through individual and group participation to overcome isolation and alienation and to develop self-awareness and a sense of belonging. It also empowers adolescents through positive role models and constructive values.
SPARK professionals are selected on the basis of their caring posture, competence and commitment. They combine personal concern with human relations skills and diagnostic insights. The SPARK counselor functions as a friend, surrogate parent, mentor, and positive role model. SPARK’s own training institute orients SPARK professionals. Staff development is a continuous process at SPARK. Skills are refined and reinforced in workshops, seminars, and ongoing evaluations.
The SPARK Team at Clara Barton is an important element in the delivery of services to students, school staff, and the community. The team, comprised of Eunice Sheppard and Gloria Alfinez, provide substance abuse workshops, identify and refer students “at risk,” engage in short-term supportive counseling, and organize school-wide and educational events. They are the substance abuse information resources for the school and community. They also organize and facilitate developmental groups, counsel individual students, consult and confer with school administrators, and assist parents/guardians with problems associated with drugs and alcohol.