What is the program purpose?
Brief Intervention is a short-term early intervention program that consists of 2-4 sessions engaging with youth who are experimenting with tobacco, alcohol, and/or other drug use and are not yet dependent.
Brief Intervention sessions have three basic learning objectives:
The adolescent will learn to take a more active and reflective role in decisions about their own behavior.
The adolescent will receive personalized assistance in weighing the personal costs and benefits associated with their use.
The adolescent will be supported and empowered to develop a plan to help make changes that they see as beneficial.
Who should be trained?
Brief Intervention is for youth-serving professionals who are working with adolescents that…
are experiencing problems with their alcohol, tobacco or drug use but are not yet addicted or dependent.
are unsure or ambivalent about changing their use.
Brief Intervention is an indicated, harm reduction strategy for youth who have been identified through screening or disciplinary action. The program is most appropriate for use with adolescent and young adult populations 12 years and older.
How do youth benefit?
Brief Intervention provides a forum for youth to talk about their alcohol, tobacco, or drug use. During sessions, trained counselors provide youth with accurate information about substance use risks, and help youth identify consequences of their use that may impact their health, lifestyle, relationships, and school success.
Through participation in Brief Intervention sessions, young people are empowered to set goals for themselves and make informed choices about their substance use.
Brief Intervention Evidence-Base
The Brief Intervention uses evidence-based approaches to meet the needs of the substance-using adolescent.
Stages of Change Theory
explains the stages individuals must go through to change their behaviors. Also known as the Transtheoretical Model, the Stages of Change Theory outlines a series of five distinct stages that individuals typically progress through when attempting to modify unhealthy behaviors or adopt new, healthier ones. These stages are:
Precontemplation, where individuals are unaware of their need for change;
Contemplation, characterized by awareness of the problem and consideration of change;
Preparation, involving active planning and commitment to change;
Action, where individuals take tangible steps toward behavior change; and
Maintenance, marked by efforts to sustain the new behavior and prevent relapse.
This model recognizes that change is not a linear process and that individuals may cycle back and forth between stages before achieving lasting behavior change.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
is a widely practiced evidence-based practice that focuses on helping individuals identify and change unhelpful thought patterns, emotional responses, and behaviors.
It is a technique used to change perceptions, thoughts and feelings about behaviors and the role social environments have in influencing them. CBT provides a plan for individuals to change their behavior.
Grounded in the belief that our thoughts influence our feelings and actions, CBT aims to enhance mental well-being by teaching young people to challenge and re-frame negative or distorted thoughts and develop more adaptive coping strategies.
Through a collaborative and goal-oriented therapeutic process, CBT equips individuals with practical coping strategies and problem-solving skills to manage a range of issues, ultimately promoting positive changes in their emotional well-being and overall quality of life.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
provides guidance on how to work with an individual needing to change their behavior. Motivational interviewing is a counseling method that helps people resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities to find the internal motivation they need to change their behavior. It is a practical, empathetic, and short-term process that takes into consideration how difficult it is to make life changes.
MI recognizes that for an individual to change, they need to:
Recognize that a current behavior is a concern or a problem.
Believe that they will be better off if they change.
Believe that they are able to change.
Know how and what they need to do to change.
In this way, MI builds on stages of change theory and CBT principles.