A Closer Look at Prevention and Early Intervention for Substance Use in Teens and Young Adults

Workshop Description

This 3-hour (virtual) interactive workshop examines some of the traditional models of prevention, intervention, treatment, and their degrees of effectiveness. Participants are asked to view prevention through a different lens and are given the opportunity (through breakout sessions) to brainstorm new ways of addressing concerns as well as updated terminology and best ways to start the conversation with teens and young adults will also be discussed. Participants are given tools and suggestions such as interviewing, screening, assessment, referrals, and a review of levels of care according to ASAM criteria, for starting an Early Intervention Program in their school or community.

This workshop is geared toward clinicians, policy makers, anyone in the position to create or impact programming, and anyone who would benefit from gaining a better understanding of the process.

In this workshop you will:

• Name different types of prevention
• Show an understanding of the importance of starting effective prevention early on
• Differentiate levels of care according to ASAM criteria
• Outline the basics of an Early Intervention Program suited to their population
• List examples of Motivational Interviewing questions that may be effective in exploring substance use with teens and young adults

Workshop Instructor

Barbara Burke received her MSW from the VCU School of Social Work in 1978 and most of her work over the past 40 years has been with Substance Use Disorders. She recently retired from clinical practice, where she specialized in the assessment, early and treatment of Adolescents and Young Adults. Barbara believes in the importance of family involvement and meeting folks where they are. Her focus has been on helping young people understand their relationship with substances and their risk factors for dependence so they can make informed decisions. She is the co-founder of “Rams in Recovery”, a Collegiate Recovery Program at VCU where she remains part of the project team and a member of its advisory board. She is currently adjunct faculty in the VCU School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences where she teaches courses in Substance Abuse and Coping and Adaptation. She also contracts with the University of Richmond to provide early intervention groups and is a consultant to area schools.