Volume 1, Issue 1July 2007
El Faro Staff
Liliane Cambraia Windsor, Ph.D., M.S.W., Editor
Sheila Kaupert,
Newsletter Coordinator
National Office
Jane Brooks, M.Sc., C.M.P.
Website Coordinator
This Month's Contributors
Melissa Alvarado, M.A.
Jason Burrow-Sánchez, Ph.D.
José Cañive, M.D.
Antonio Cepeda-Benito, Ph.D.
Evelio Escamilla
J. Bryan Page, Ph.D.
Juan Peña, Ph.D.
Ulises M. Ricoy, M.A.
Avelardo Valdez, Ph.D.
Liliane C. Windsor, M.S.W.
María Luisa Zúñiga, Ph.D.
National Steering Committee
José Szapocznik, Ph.D., NHSN Chair
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., Ph.D.
Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D.
Ana Mari Cauce, Ph.D.
Joe Martínez, Ph.D.
Patricia Molina, M.D., Ph.D.
Humberto Nicolini-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D.
Bryan Page, Ph.D.
Rafaela Robles, Ed.D.
Avelardo Valdez, Ph.D.
Bill Vega, Ph.D.
Volume 1, Issue 1
Helping School Mental Health Professionals Address Student Substance Abuse Concerns
Jason J. Burrow-Sanchez, Ph.D.
Student substance abuse is one of the problems that school mental health professionals encounter on a regular basis. However, while much scientific research has been conducted on adolescent substance abuse, there is still a need to translate research findings into practical strategies that school professionals can use in their day-to-day work with students.
School counselors, nurses and psychologists are the most likely school personnel to deliver mental health services, including substance abuse services. However, our study of a national sample of middle and high school counselors has found that they need and want more training in the area of substance abuse to more effectively address these concerns with students. We are also currently conducting research on this topic with a national sample of school psychologists and similar results are expected.
I believe that for scientific findings to have the greatest possible impact they need to be translated into practical strategies that can easily be implemented by school mental health professionals. My research and professional experiences have taught me that school professionals are eager to obtain useful information and practical strategies on the topic of student substance abuse. Typically, school personnel are more interested in learning proactive approaches that assist students in overcoming substance abuse problems rather than reactive policies (e.g., zero tolerance) that further alienate students from school-based support services.
To address this need, my colleague Dr. Leanne Hawken and I have co-authored a book for school mental health professionals at the middle and high school levels, “Helping Students Overcome Substance Abuse: Effective Practices for Prevention and Intervention” (Guilford Press, 2007). A major goal was to translate research-based findings into practical approaches that can be utilized by school professionals when working with students with substance abuse problems. The book can also be adopted by college instructors for use in courses with pre-service school professionals.
The seven chapters, two of which were contributed by guest authors, cover the areas of student substance abuse most relevant to school mental health professionals. For example, we found that substance abuse screening is the area of training that middle and high school counselors report as being most important. To address this need, Chapter 3 provides a description of the most common drugs of abuse including intoxication effects and consequences of abuse. This chapter also provides a listing of substance abuse screening measures that can easily be implemented by school professionals with little or no special training required. In addition, many of the measures listed in this chapter are either in the public domain or available at low cost.
The second area of substance abuse-related training reported as most important by middle and high school counselors is individual interventions. Chapter 5, written by two guest authors, provides school mental health professionals with information on ways to best work one-to-one with a student when substance abuse is a concern. Included are strategies adapted from cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing for use in school settings. Further, Chapter 6 provides school professionals with ideas and strategies for implementing substance abuse related group interventions appropriate for school settings, such as prevention and after-care groups.
We also address some of the most common, controversial, and misunderstood topics surrounding substance abuse issues in schools today, such as zero tolerance polices, D.A.R.E., and 42CFR confidentiality regulations. Each of these topics is discussed in ways that are relevant for the school mental health professional. Case studies are also provided in each chapter to illustrate the central concepts and strategies discussed. In addition, each chapter concludes with a resource section that contains a listing of useful websites, books, and other materials relevant to the chapter topic. Finally, the book contains useful reproducible worksheets and forms that school professionals can utilize in their work with students.
School mental health professionals now have a resource that is research-based and provides practical approaches for addressing student substance abuse concerns in schools.