Although attempts and programs to prevent adolescent substance abuse can be very successful in accomplishing their goals, in most cases, they are often only helpful and relevant to teens who are not already abusing/addicts, leading me to believe that family- based intervention and family-based therapy is one of the best treatment options for
adolescent …show more content…
This journal, Advances in Adolescent Substance
Abuse Treatment, introduces the problematic treatments approaches up until the mid-
1980’s. For a decades, substance abuse “treatment” for adolescents entailed sending them to correctional institutions and/or asylums created for adults. In the 1950’s, despite churches and hospitals recognizing that adolescent drug use behaviors did not mimic those of adults, most adolescents were still treated with adult-based programs through the 1980’s. “Research has since identified significant differences between adults and adolescents presenting with a [substance use disorder] that are relevant to treatment design and efficacy,” (US National Library of Medicine, 2011). Examples of this include higher rates of binge use and lower problem recognition than adults. The journal then discusses a wide variety of therapeutic models, including: family-based therapy, group therapy (specifically cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing), twelve- step programs, therapeutic community, and pharmacotherapy. Citing a …show more content…
This journal, also published on the website for the US National Library of Medicine, deeply examines the familial and parental roles in the transition of an adolescent during their recovery, referred to as the Family Check Up. This entails therapy for the adolescent, but also sessions with one or more parents of said adolescent to ensure that boundaries and limits are being put into place to ensure a healthy development and recovery for the teen. The Family Check up often opens lines of communication between the parent and the teen, and then they are given feedback about expectations, monitoring/supervision, and communication. “Given the [family check up]’s self guided approach, it can be easily adapted to include value, customs, child-rearing traditions, expectancies for child and parent behavior, distinctive stressors, and resources associated with different cultural groups,” (US National Library of Medicine, 2015). With the flexibility of family based intervention and its ability to conform to virtually any parent/teen relationship, I believe that parental monitoring, consistent limit setting, and communication