Project SUCCESS

Adolescents and their parents

Project SUCCESS (Schools Using Coordinated Community Efforts to Strengthen Students) is a program designed to prevent and reduce adolescent substance use and abuse. It places trained professionals (Project SUCCESS counselors) in the schools to provide a full range of substance abuse prevention and early intervention services.

Project SUCCESS counselors use the following intervention strategies: information dissemination, normative and prevention education, problem identification and referral, community-based process, and environmental approaches. In addition, resistance and social competency skills, such as communication, decision making, stress and anger management, problem solving, and resisting peer pressure are taught. The counselors primarily work with adolescents individually and in small groups; conduct large group prevention/education discussions and programs, train and consult on prevention issues with school staff; coordinate the substance abuse services and policies of the school and refer and follow-up with students and families needing substance abuse treatment or mental health services in the community.

Project SUCCESS Program Components:

• Prevention Education Series – An eight-session Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug prevention program conducted by the Project SUCCESS Counselor.
• Individual and Group Counseling – Project SUCCESS Counselors conduct time limited individual sessions and/or group counseling at school to students following participation in the Prevention Education Series and an individual assessment. There are seven different counseling groups for students to participate in.
• Parent Programs – Project SUCCESS includes parents as collaborative partners in prevention through parent education programs.
• Referral – Students and parents who require treatment, more intensive counseling, or other services are referred to appropriate agencies or practitioners in the community by their Project SUCCESS counselors.

Christine D’Annibale

• Website: http://www.sascorp.org/success.html
• Email: Cdannibale@sascorp.org
• Phone: (914) 332-1300

Publicly available information indicates there is some training available for this program. See contact info.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being

“What is included in the Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research section?”

• Clark, H. K., Ringwalt, C. L., Hanley, S., Shamblen, S. R., Flewelling, R. L., & Hano, M. C. (2010). Project SUCCESS’ effects on the substance use of alternative high school students. Addictive Behaviors, 35(3), 209–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.10.004

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 2,249

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Control: Mean=6.64 years; Intervention: Mean=17.69 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Control: 79% Caucasian, 13% Hispanic, and 7% African American; Intervention: 74% Caucasian, 19% Hispanic, and 5% African American
  • Gender — Control: 49% Male; Intervention: 52% Male
  • Status —

    Participants were students at alternative high schools.

  Location/Institution: Washington State

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of Project SUCCESS on adolescents’ substance use immediately following program implementation, and again one year later. Participants were randomly assigned to the Project SUCCESS group or the control group. Measures utilized include the Monitoring the Future Survey and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to examine use of alcohol, marijuana, illegal drugs, drinking to intoxication, and cigarette use. Results indicate that students in the control schools reported significantly less use of illegal drugs excluding marijuana than those in the Project SUCCESS group at the first posttest; however, this effect did not persist one year later. There were no other outcome effects of even a marginal nature. Limitations include a possible lack of power to detect significant effects, that students’ program exposure was low and results may not generalize to main stream schools with higher and more regular rates of attendance, differences between the groups at baseline, lack of clarity if the control group received no-treatment, and concerns about model fidelity.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 12 months.

• Clark, H. K., Ringwalt, C. L., Shamblen, S. R., & Hanley, S. M. (2011). Project SUCCESS’ effects on substance use-related attitudes and behaviors: a randomized controlled trial in alternative high schools. Journal of Drug Education, 41(1), 17–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.10.004

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Participants: 2,249

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — 10-21 years (Mean=16.70 years)
  • Race/Ethnicity — 77% Caucasian, 16% Hispanic, and 6% African American
  • Gender — 50% Male
  • Status —

    Participants were students at alternative high schools.

  Location/Institution: Washington State

  Summary:

  The study used the same sample as Clark et al. (2010). The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of Project SUCCESS on secondary outcomes such as perceptions of harm caused by substance use, resistance self-efficacy, participation in pro-social activities, normative beliefs, positive peer support, peer pressure, and violence and rebelliousness for students attending alternative high schools. Participants were randomly assigned to the Project SUCCESS group or the control group. Measures utilized include the Monitoring the Future Survey and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Results indicate that Project SUCCESS successfully changed one substance-use related attitude (perceived harm) and demonstrated a trend toward changing a second only for marijuana (normative beliefs) but failed to change many others (resistance self-efficacy, problem behaviors, peer pressure, participation in pro-social activities). In addition, peer support increased more in the control group than in the Project SUCCESS group, and the Project SUCCESS program demonstrated a trend toward adversely affecting respondents’ normative beliefs about alcohol. Limitations include a possible lack of power to detect significant effects, concerns about model fidelity, that students’ program exposure was low and results may not generalize to main stream schools with higher and more regular rates of attendance, lack of clarity if the control group received no-treatment, and the reliance on self-report measures.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 12 months.

• Rosenthal, S. R., Roberts, K. J., & Borden, S. K. (2025). Project SUCCESS: Youth substance use and mental health. Journal of Drug Education, 54(2–3), 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472379241285522

  Type of Study: Pretest–posttest study with a nonequivalent control group (Quasi-experimental)

  Participants: 18,151

  Sample / Population:

  • Age — Not specified. Participants were in Grades 6–12
  • Race/Ethnicity — Not specified
  • Gender — Not specified
  • Status —

    Participants were middle school and high school students.

  Location/Institution: Rhode Island, United States

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to assess whether students at schools implementing Project SUCCESS (PS) have different substance use and mental health outcomes than those at schools not implementing PS. Participant schools that received PS were compared to non-treatment control schools. Measures utilized include the Modified Depression Scale (MDS) and a study-developed survey that measured past-month use of cigarettes, vaping, alcohol, or marijuana. Results indicate that students at schools with PS had lower odds of past-month cigarette use, vaping, alcohol use, marijuana use, past-year suicide ideation, and had fewer depressive symptoms relative to students at schools without PS. Limitations include the lack of randomization; lack of baseline equivalence; and finally despite the large sample representing 80% of school districts, it should not be assumed that this sample is representative of all middle and high school students in the state.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

There are currently no references available for Project SUCCESS.