Powerful Interventions for Substance Abuse
Brittney Pacini and Cesar Valdez
ABSTRACT
Adolescent substance use hinders
academic achievement and social
emotional development. School
counselors have a critical role in
implementing strategies to
address this important issue. This
poster will present evidence-
based strategies through a multi-
tiered system of support that
school counselors can use to
prevent, intervene, and treat
adolescent substance abuse.
Multi-Tiered System
of Support (MTSS)
Few students
Intensive/Individualized
Tier 3
Interventions (5%)
Some students Tier 2
Selective/Targeted
(15%)
Interventions
Prevention for all
students Tier 1 (80%)
MTSS is a school-wide multi-
tiered framework used to address
student learning and social
emotional development. It is an
ecological approach to both
preventing problems and
addressing them when they
occur.
CONTACT
Brittney Pacini & Cesar Valdez
Association of School Counselors at Chapman
Email: pacin103@mail.chapman.edu;
valde155@mail.chapman.edu
Chapman University, Association of School Counselors at Chapman
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
• 2.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 were current
users of illicit drugs.
• 1.2 million were current users of alcohol.
• 1.2 million or about 1 in 20 adolescents aged 12 to 17,
had a substance use disorder (SUD) in 2015.
• Include marijuana, synthetic drugs, inhalants, lysergic
acid (LSD), cocaine, crack, amphetamines,
methamphetamines, crystal methamphetamines,
heroin, prescription drugs, tranquilizers, sedatives,
MDMA, alcohol, and tobacco (NIDA, 2016).
Drug and alcohol abuse among students can lead to
academic failure, underachievement, and school
dropout. Research reveals that lower ages of substance
use initiation are correlated with injury to self and
others, unlawful behavior, violence, risky sexual
behaviors, vehicle crashes, and death.
RISK FACTORS
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS:
• Difficulties with self control and regulation
• Depression
ENVIRONMENT:
• Low parental involvement
• Exposure to violence or maltreatment
• High levels of violence, drug availability, & peer
approval drug use in neighborhood
PROTECTIVE FACTORS
• Self control
• Adaptive coping
• Parental monitoring
• Academic competence
• Anti-drug use policies
• Spirituality
• Strong neighborhood attachment (NIDA, 2016).
MTSS FRAMEWORK
Tier 3 Intervention:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Goal: change a person’s inaccurate and negative
thoughts and beliefs
Targets: negative emotions and behaviors
Teaches: increased self-control, coping skills,
communication skills, and decision-making skills
*Has been found to be just as effective as a
twelve-step program (Bassett et al., 2016)
Tier 2 Intervention:
Project Towards No-Drug Abuse (TND)
Goal: promote adolescent resistance to substance
use
Targets: risk factors such as expectations about
drugs, coping skills and self-control within social
settings
Teaches: classroom guidance or pull out groups
that address self-control, motivation,
communication skills , and decision-making
skills (Lisha et al., 2012)
Tier 1 Intervention:
Life Skills Training Program
(LST-MS) (LST-HS)
Goal: decrease the risk of substance use in
adolescents
Targets: risk and protective factors that may
decrease or increase risky or maladaptive
behaviors related to later drug use
Teaches: classroom guidance that promotes drug
resistance skills, personal self-management skills,
communication skills, coping skills, & social
skills (Botvin et al., 2015)
IMPLICATIONS
School Counselors
• Are well equipped to identify and employ
substance use interventions at each tier of
MTSS.
• Need to be aware of the risk and protective
factors of students and become
knowledgeable of how these apply to their
specific school populations.
• Should be knowledgeable of evidence-based
programs and interventions that are
appropriate to the students they work with.
• Should be able to implement these
interventions with fidelity.
• Should stay current on research regarding
risk and protective factors in order to
implement the most effective interventions.
• Collaborate and consult with other
professionals and colleagues to implement
interventions optimally.
REFERENCES
Botvin, G.J., Griffin, K.W., & Williams, C. (2015). Preventing Daily
Substance Use among High School Students Using a Cognitive-
Behavioral Competence Enhancement Approach. World Journal of
Preventive Medicine, 3(3), 48-53.
Brooks-Russell, A., Conway, K. P., Liu, D., Xie, Y., Vullo, G. C., Li, K.,
… Simons-Morton, B. (2015). Dynamic patterns of adolescent
substance use: Results from a nationally representative sample of
high school students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76(6),
962–970. http://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2015.76.962
Creed, T. A., Reisweber, J., & Beck, A. T. (2011). Cognitive therapy for
adolescents in school settings. New York, NY, US: Guilford Press.
Lisha, N. E., Sun, P., Rohrbach, L. A., Spruijt-Metz, D., Unger, J. B., &
Sussman, S. (2012). An evaluation of immediate outcomes and
fidelity of a drug abuse prevention program in continuation high
schools: Project towards no drug abuse (TND). Journal of Drug
Education, 42(1), 33-57.
Trends and statistics. (2016). In Nation Institute of Drug Abuse. Retrieved
October 17, 2016, from https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-
topics/trends-statistics.
Zimmerman, G. M., & Farrell, C. (2017). Parents, peers, perceived risk
of harm, and the neighborhood: Contextualizing key influences on
adolescent substance use. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46, 228-
247. doi:10.1007/s10964-016- 0475-5