Substance Abuse Prevention (Child & Adolescent) Programs

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School Program is a substance abuse and violence prevention program for youth in grades 6-9. LifeSkills Training is comprehensive and developmentally designed to promote positive youth development. In addition to helping kids resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, the LifeSkills Training Middle School program is also designed to support the reduction of violence and other high-risk behaviors. Each session is 30-45 minutes; sessions can be taught either on an intensive schedule (two to three times a week) until the program is complete, or on a more extended schedule (once a week).

Program Learning Objectives:

• Personal Self-Management Skills – Students develop skills that help them enhance self-esteem, develop problem-solving abilities, reduce stress and anxiety, and manage anger.
• General Social Skills – Students gain skills to meet personal challenges such as overcoming shyness, communicating clearly, building relationships, and avoiding violence.
• Drug Resistance Skills – Students build effective defenses against pressures to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

Familias Unidas is a family-centered drug use and sexual risk behavior prevention intervention for Hispanic youth and their families. Familias Unidas was specifically developed for Hispanics. It helps empower parents to speak with their adolescents about how to prevent drug use and sexual risk behaviors. Familias Unidas is a multilevel intervention that targets risk (e.g., poor adolescent communication) and protective factors (e.g., parental involvement) at the family, peer, and, school level. Familias Unidas has been adapted for use on the Internet and is currently being tested for obesity prevention, and delivery in primary care settings.

PreVenture^® is a prevention and early intervention program for youth aged 12 to 18 years. The program offers brief, workshops that teach personality-specific cognitive-behavioral skills to youth to promote mental health and reduce the risk of substance use.

PreVenture^® aims to promote self-efficacy and cognitive-behavioral skills among youth to help them cope with the numerous developmental challenges that many young people face, such as academic stress, peer pressure, interpersonal conflict, and identity development. This personalized approach aims to empower young people to build resilience and develop effective coping strategies to help them better manage their personality style. The program is delivered in two 90-minute personality-focused workshops (either online or in-person) either in a school or community setting and involves group and individual exercises, is manual-based, but guided by a trained facilitator.

The Strengthening Families Program: For Parents and Youth 10-14 (SFP 10-14) is delivered in seven parent, youth, and family sessions using narrated videos portraying typical youth and parent situations with diverse families. The program is taught with 7-10 families over seven weeks for two hours each session. Parents and youth meet in separate groups for the first hour and together as families during the second hour to practice skills, play games, and do family projects. Sessions are highly interactive and include role-playing, discussions, learning games, and family projects.

This curriculum addresses youth risk such as: aggressive or withdrawn behavior, negative peer influence, poor school performance, lack of prosocial goals, and poor relationship with parents. Protective factors addressed include: positive future goals, peer pressure resistance skills, prosocial peer relationships, positive management of emotions, and empathy with parents.

Family Matters is a family-directed program to reduce tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents. Families with adolescents aged 12 to 14 are targeted because at these ages, many have not yet used the substances. The program features four successively mailed booklets and follow-up telephone contacts by health educators. Booklet 1 focuses on motivating families to participate in the program. Booklet 2 focuses on general family characteristics known or believed to influence adolescent drug use that are not specific to drug behavior. Booklet 3 addresses tobacco and alcohol-specific risk factors. Booklet 4 addresses substance use risk factors outside the family. A health educator contacts a parent by telephone after each booklet to encourage participation by all family members, answer questions, and record information. The adolescent is reached through family members and is never contacted directly by the health educator. The program and all related materials may be downloaded for free from the website: http://familymatters.sph.unc.edu.

GGC is a designed to help parents develop positive parenting and family management skills. The goal of GGC is to prevent substance abuse and other risky behaviors among teens by improving family communication and family bonding which has been shown to be critically important in reducing or inhibiting adolescent participation in antisocial behaviors.

During the course of GCC, parents learn to set clear family guidelines on drugs, as well as learn and practice skills to strengthen family bonds, help their children develop healthy behaviors, and increase children's involvement in the family.

Good Behavior Game®/PAX Good Behavior Game® (PAX GBG) are one and the same. Scientifically, it is the Good Behavior Game®, and commercially and in educational settings it is preferred by Johns Hopkins University staff and users to use the softer, “relational frame” name for use with children, families, and staffs as the PAX Good Behavior Game or “PAX,” which means Peace, Productivity, Health, and Happiness.

The PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) is a universal classroom-based preventive intervention that is designed to create a nurturing environment for all children. The intervention aims to increase on-task behavior, focused attention, and self-regulation in students while decreasing disruptive, withdrawn, and violent behavior. Unlike a curriculum, the intervention is designed to integrate seamlessly into classroom instruction by providing the teacher or after-school professional with ten research-based behavioral health strategies for use in concert with daily instruction.

SPORT (Substance Prevention Optimizing Resiliency Training) Prevention Plus Wellness High School Version is a brief substance use prevention and health promotion intervention designed to highlight the positive image benefits of an active lifestyle to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs by youth. In addition, it aims to improve their overall physical and mental wellbeing.

TGFD 6th Grade is designed to be a developmentally appropriate prevention program that builds resiliency in a positive way by teaching social competence and problem solving skills. It aims to increase social and emotional competencies, mitigate the risk factors, and build the protective factors related to substance use and other problem behaviors among 6th grade students. Substance use topics are discussed in the context of expectations, peer pressure and influence, and the media. Complex social challenges and influences that present a greater risk for escapism and risky behavior are explored and met with strategies for managing them in a positive, healthy way. Interactive games and activities create an experiential learning environment so students can learn and apply the skills in the classroom setting.

The approach of the TGFD 6th Grade attempts to protect students against social pressures to use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs (ATOD). The program draws on theoretical constructs that indicate positive socialization is achieved when children can both participate in conforming, prosocial activities and develop the skills necessary for successful involvement.

There are other grade-level editions of the Too Good for Drugs curriculum. Although they may contain similar content tailored to the different grade levels, they have not been reviewed by the CEBC and are not included in this program entry.

Voices Lite: A Program of Self-Discovery and Empowerment for Girls addresses the unique needs of adolescent girls and young women. This is a shorter 12-session version of the full 18-session Voices: A Program of Self-Discovery and Empowerment for Girls. The program includes modules on self, connecting with others, healthy living, and the journey ahead. Topics include bullying, the pressures of social media, gender exploration, and binge drinking. Texting, social media, and online or “in real life” (IRL) friends also included.

The facilitator’s guide includes background information about young women, gender-responsive principles, and the theoretical foundation of the program. It provides information about conducting the twelve group sessions that are the core of the program (the structure and content for each topic and activity), as well as a program overview and lists of materials needed for the sessions. The program materials also can be used to train staff members in working with girls.

The participant’s journal utilizes an established process called Interactive Journaling®. In the context of girls’ lives, structured journaling provides an outlet for creativity, personal expression, exploration, and application of new concepts and skills.

Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action is a school- and community-based intervention for middle school-aged youth designed to increase protective factors that prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; irresponsible sexual behavior; and violence. Family, school, and peer bonding are important objectives. The program includes a parent and teen component. The parent component uses the curriculum from Active Parenting of Teens. This curriculum is based on Adlerian parenting theory, which advocates mutual respect among family members, parental guidance, and use of an authoritative style of parental leadership that facilitates behavioral correction. A teen component was developed to complement the parent component.

Active Parenting of Teens: Families in Action uses a family-systems approach in which families attend sessions and learn skills. Each of the sessions includes time during which parents and youth meet in separate groups and time during which all family members meet together. Modules address parent-child communication, positive behavior management, interpersonal relationships for adolescents, ways for families to have fun together, enhancement of the adolescent's self-esteem, and factors that promote school success. Youth are taught about the negative social and physical effects of substance use, they learn general life skills and social resistance skills, and they are provided opportunities to practice these skills. Parents are taught skills to help reinforce their teen's skills training. During the portion of each session involving the youth and parents together, they participate in a family enrichment activity and receive a homework assignment to complete before the next session.

The program is offered in six weekly 2-and-1/2-hour long sessions. Typical groups consist of 5 to 12 families. Sessions use videos, group discussion, and role-plays, plus high-energy activities for the teens. Two leaders are needed, one for the parent portion and one for the teen portion, with one of the two leaders also leading the parents and teens combined.

This is one of 3 versions of Active Parenting reviewed and rated on this website (search Active Parenting above). There is also a version of Active Parenting for parents of children under 5 called "Active Parenting First Five Years"; while the program has not yet been reviewed by the CEBC, you can find more information about it at https://activeparenting.com/product-category/for-leaders/parenting-curriculums-for-leaders/ages-0-4-parenting-curriculums-for-leaders/.

CMCA is a community-organizing intervention designed to reduce teens' access to alcohol by changing community policies and practices. CMCA seeks both to limit youths' access to alcohol and to communicate a clear message by the community that underage drinking is inappropriate and unacceptable. CMCA employs a specified process of community-organizing to address legal, institutional, and local cultural practices that facilitate underage drinking.

Creating Lasting Family Connections® (CLFC) is a family-focused program that aims to build the resiliency of youth aged 9 to 17 years and reduce the frequency of their alcohol and other drug (AOD) use. CLFC is implemented through a community system, such as churches, schools, recreation centers, and court-referred settings. The six modules of the CLFC curriculum, administered to parents/guardians and youth in18-20 weekly training sessions, focus on:

• Imparting knowledge and understanding about the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs including tobacco
• Improving communication and conflict resolution skills
• Building coping mechanisms to resist negative social influences
• Encouraging the use of community services when personal or family problems arise
• Engendering self-knowledge, personal responsibility, and respect for others
• Delaying the onset and reducing the frequency of AOD use among participating youth

The program supports problem identification and referrals to other community services for participants when necessary.

Project TND is an interactive classroom-based substance abuse prevention program for youth who are at risk for drug use and violence-related behavior. It focuses on three factors that predict tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use, violence-related behaviors, and other problem behaviors among youth, including: (a) Motivation factors (e.g., students' attitudes, beliefs, expectations, and desires regarding drug use); (b) Skills (e.g., effective communication, social self-control, and coping skills); and (c) Decision-making (i.e., how to make decisions that lead to health-promoting behaviors).

The curriculum contains twelve 40-50 minute interactive sessions taught by teachers or health educators over a 3-week period. Sessions provide instruction in motivation activities to not use drugs; skills in self-control, communication, and resource acquisition; and decision-making strategies. The program is delivered universally, and can be used in both traditional and alternative, high-risk high schools.

RSAP is designed to prevent and reduce substance use among adolescents in residential child care facilities due to committing delinquent acts, being neglected or abused, experiencing chronic school problems, and/or having mental health and other behavioral health problems. Most of these adolescents have a history of early substance use and/or have a parent with a substance abuse disorder (SUD).

Highly trained substance abuse prevention specialists implement a multicomponent program consisting of screening, individual and group counseling for substance using youth and/or having a parent with a SUD, awareness activities, an eight-session curriculum for all residents, referral for treatment when needed, and environmental strategies to change facility culture and norms.

SPORT (Substance Prevention Optimizing Resiliency Training) Prevention Plus Wellness Middle School Version is a brief substance use prevention and health promotion intervention designed to highlight the positive image benefits of an active lifestyle to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs by youth. In addition, it aims to improve their overall physical and mental well-being.

The Strengthening Families Program (SFP) is a 10- to 14-week parenting and family skills training program for high-risk and general population families. It is unique because the whole family attends and practice new relationship skills together in family groups. SFP is designed to significantly improve parenting skills and family relationships, reduce child maltreatment, children's problem behaviors, delinquency and alcohol and drug abuse; and to improve social competencies and school performance. The program is designed to work with many different ethnicities and races. In addition, it is available as a Home-use DVD for school, behavioral health, and family services to use alone or with case managers. It can also be given to families to view at home.

The All Stars Core Program is designed to delay the onset of risky behaviors, including alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, fighting and bullying, and early sexual activity. Each program uses specific strategies which ideally delay the onset of these behaviors with middle school youth. The strategies are:

• Bonding
• Parent/adult attention
• Idealism
• Normative beliefs
• Personal commitment

During the middle school years, students negative attitudes about risky behaviors can begin to erode or their positive attitudes about risky behaviors can become more acceptable. The All Stars Core is designed to prevent this attitude erosion and/or correct attitudes, if needed.

All Stars Core is not a knowledge-based or teacher-taught curriculum. The curriculum is designed to be process-oriented, student-driven, and highly engaging. It involves the students in small group activities, games, art projects, and video making. All Stars Core has the students think about themselves, their hopes and dreams for the future, and where they see risky behaviors helping or not helping with their future plans.

keepin' it REAL (kiR) Middle School Program is a 10-week classroom-based universal substance use prevention program for youth ages 10-13. kiR is designed to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, and other risky drug use as well as promote social and emotional competencies such as drug refusal efficacy. The weekly lessons are 45 minutes each using a "from kids, through kids, to kids" approach, kiR increases students' confident communication skills, decision-making skill, resistance skill efficacy, emotional intelligence (e.g., empathy, perspective taking, self-control), and awareness of social support. Program examples, role-plays, and videos feature personal experiences of early adolescents. To help reinforce the messages from the 10 weekly lessons, there are 3 optional lessons on "how to make your own refuse, explain, avoid, and leave (kiR) videos." Multicultural program videos address e-cig use, vaping, and use of prescription medication. There are three culturally grounded versions: Multicultural, Rural, and Spanish.