Child/Adolescent Prevention Services

School Based Prevention: “Too Good for Drugs”

TGFD is an evidence-based curriculum which has been proven to be effective and is listed as a “Model Program” by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  It is a school-based prevention program designed to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use among students. “Too Good for Drugs” focuses on developing personal and interpersonal skills to resist peer pressures, goal setting, decision making, bonding with others, having respect for self and others, managing emotions, effective communication, and social interactions. The program also provides information about the negative consequences of drug use and the benefits of a nonviolent, drug-free lifestyle. “Too Good for Drugs” has a separate, developmentally-appropriate curriculum for each grade level for Kindergarten through 9th grades. Each ten-lesson curriculum builds on earlier grade levels, an instructional design which enables students to learn important skills sequentially and retain them year after year. The length of each lesson depends on the grade level. K-2nd lessons are usually 20-30 minutes, 3rd-5th lessons are usually 40-45 minutes, and 6th-HS lessons are usually the length of a regular class period (50-60 minutes).

If a school would like us to provide this program, they can contact us and request it. We will then determine if we have the staff and/or funds available to satisfy the request.

Adolescent Education: TND – Project Toward No Drug Abuse

This is an ongoing, six week program that utilizes “TND: Project Toward No Drug Abuse”, which is a drug use prevention program. Project TND is an effective drug abuse prevention program that targets senior high school-age youth. It was developed by Steve Sussman, Ph.D. and staff at the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. The theoretical background for Project TND is motivation-skills-decision-making (MSD) model. At the core of Project TND is a set of in class sessions that provide motivation-skills-decision-making material targeting the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, hard drugs and violence-related behavior such as weapon carrying. These sessions were developed through an interactive empirical curriculum development process in which sessions concepts, activities, format, and impact were repeatedly evaluated. The current curriculum includes twelve 40 minute sessions.

The Adolescent Education series is held on Tuesdays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The location rotates between the Napoleon and Bryan offices.  This program is for adolescents who have gotten into trouble due to an AOD issue. It is primarily for those kids who may only need some education to assist them in making better decisions in the future. If it is determined, either prior to or during the program, that an adolescent may need more help, the referral source will be notified of the recommendation for an assessment with a counselor at Recovery Services.

Referrals for the Adolescent Education program can come from counselors, schools, courts/probation, or parents. The program is provided free of charge.

Juvenile Detention Center

Recovery Services offers an ongoing information/education program at JDC on a weekly basis. The information/education comes from the Too Good for Drugs curriculum. Topics covered are tailored to the needs of each individual group of adolescents.

Project EX

Project EX is a school based, tobacco use cessation program designed for youth ages 14-19 years old, specifically targeting high school youth. Goals of the Project EX curriculum include emphasizing coping with stress, managing nicotine withdrawal, relaxation techniques, and ways to manage relapse. In addition, Project EX teaches self-control, anger management skills, mood management skills, goal setting techniques, and self-esteem enhancement techniques. Project EX utilizes a motivation-coping skills-personal commitment model. Motivation focuses on stopping tobacco use, education on dangers of tobacco use, the impact of tobacco on others, ways in which tobacco use can increase stress levels, the benefits of quitting young, and the long-term benefits of quitting.  Coping skill areas focus on selecting the approach the youth will use to quite, management of withdrawal symptoms and stress, cognitive barriers that affect quitting, wellness, assertiveness training, anger management skills, and ways to avoid relapse. Personal commitment is stressed and revisited throughout the curriculum and emphasis is placed on how personal commitment correlates to the success of the individual.

Project EX was designed by the University of Southern California Institute for Prevention Research. SAMHSA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have identified it as a model program. Project EX consists of eight sessions, each 40 to 45 minutes in length. The sessions are designed to be delivered over a period of 6 weeks on the following schedule: 2 sessions a week for 2 weeks, followed by 1 session a week for 4 weeks.

If a school would like us to provide this program, they can contact us and request it. We will then determine if we have the staff and/or funds available to satisfy the request.

Prime for Life

Prime for Life is an evidence based prevention curriculum designed for adults and youth making high-risk choices. In 2009, this curriculum was added to the National Registry of Evidenced based Programs and Practices by SAMHSA; a list reserved for programs that have demonstrated effectiveness through independent scientific evaluation. Prime for life is adaptable to a variety of audiences, including universal audiences (i.e. company employees), selective audiences (i.e. youth with truancy issues), and indicated groups (i.e. individuals making high-risk decisions). Additionally, Prime for Life has two separate curriculums designed for adults and youth.

Prime for Life takes on a nonjudgmental approach that works towards creating an environment of safety that allows individuals to openly explore and inwardly examine how their choices are impacting their lives. They believe that drinking and drug use behaviors are changed by changing beliefs, attitudes, risk perceptions, motivations, and the knowledge of how to reduce their risk of drug and alcohol problems throughout their lives. Prime for Life believes that individuals have reasons for their beliefs and behaviors and that with new understanding, self-evaluation, and support for change, most individuals are willing to consider change in their life.

If a referral sources would like us to provide this program, they can contact us and request it. We will then determine if we have the staff and/or funds available to satisfy the request.

Drug Free Workplace Trainings

Businesses that would like to have a DFWT can contact any of the RSNWO offices to make the request. During the training, the company’s AOD-related policies are reviewed along with general information regarding AOD and/or current trends. Companies may also request specific drug information they would like to be covered during the training. RSNWO offers both the supervisor training (2 hours) and employee training (1 hour).