About TAFS
Where Connection Meets Clinical Care
At TAFS, clinical care, peer connection, family participation, and adventure learning work together — because when teens belong and are having fun, they are more likely to do the deeper work of healing.
Why It Works
Before 2002, adolescents would complete treatment, return home, and often slide back into familiar patterns. The clinical work was strong — but the environments teens returned to didn’t support lasting change.
In 2002, TAFS was founded as an evidence-informed Alternative Peer Group, integrating licensed clinical care with structured peer community, active family involvement, and experiential engagement. For teens, the opposite of substance use is connection, accountability, and belonging.
What began as a local model has contributed to national APG standards — and helped thousands of Houston families build lasting stability.
"We built the place we wished existed for families like ours. That remains the heart of TAFS."
— George Youngblood, Founder & CEO
What Makes TAFS Different
TAFS does more than address symptoms. We create environments where teens practice their recovery in real time – within their families, schools, and peer relationships. Our teens engage through adventure learning and pro-social activities while doing the clinical work that is:
- Clinically grounded and evidence-informed
- Family-integrated
- Developmentally appropriate
- Focused on long-term growth and accountability
Teens build confidence and accountability because they belong to something meaningful – and because they are supported by structure, connection, and skilled clinical care.
One Model. Three Communities.
Across each setting, TAFS brings the same core commitment: clinically grounded care, strong relationships,
and meaningful engagement that help young people stay involved in recovery. The model remains consistent.
The delivery reflects the needs of each community.
TAFS Memorial
A private-pay outpatient program for families seeking structured, clinically grounded support.
TAFS Sunnyside
An embedded, school-based program at Pro-Vision Academy, fully funded through philanthropy.
TAFS Foster Care
Onsite clinical services and offsite camp experiences for foster care youth in residential treatment centers.
Our Mission & Values
We help teens and families heal from mental and behavioral health and substance use challenges through clinical care, peer connection, family support, and pro-social engagement.
Connection
Healing happens through trusted relationships with clinicians, peers, families, and supportive adults.
Empathy
We meet every family with compassion and without judgment.
Structure
Clear expectations provide stability, accountability, and consistency.
Engagement
Teens are more likely to participate in recovery when care feels meaningful, active, and relevant to their lives.
Joy
Shared experiences build connection and lower defenses. Joy is part of the clinical design.
Integrity
Transparent, clinically rigorous, and committed to measurable outcomes.
Grounded in Research
and Experience.
The TAFS Model reflects nearly 25 years of clinical application and continuous refinement. It is evidence- informed, developmentally aligned, and committed to measurable progress.
Our work has been shaped and supported by partnerships with:
- Baylor College of Medicine
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- The Association of Recovery Schools
At TAFS, clinical rigor and relational engagement work hand in hand, combining structured care with the trust and connection adolescents need to grow.
Restoring Families Since 2002
Measured outcomes. Meaningful change.
Our goal is not temporary improvement. It is durable stability.
Learn More About TAFS
How It Works
See how Houston’s leading adolescent recovery program brings teens and families back together.
You do not have to navigate this alone
If something feels off, it is worth a conversation. A clinician will speak with you directly, answer your questions, and help determine next steps for your teen and family.