NCJ Number
208407
Journal
Advocasey Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2002 Pages: 12-19
Date Published
2002
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article describes two particularly effective adolescent substance abuse treatment programs in Miami.
Abstract
Despite the tremendous resources poured into the “War on Drugs” over the past three decades, adolescent drug use remains high around the country. Moreover, adolescent drug use carries different issues and diverse deleterious outcomes in comparison to adult drug use, including increased risk of binging, as well as attention deficit and conduct disorders. Recent research in adolescent drug treatment has been largely ignored by the treatment community, with the exception of two adolescent drug treatment programs in Miami that offer Brief Structural Family Therapy (BSFT) and Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). BSFT assigns trained social workers to engage the entire family in counseling, open lines of communication between adolescents and parents, and assist families in establishing order in their homes. MDFT also incorporates the entire family into the treatment process through similar practices. BSFT and MDFT are among the few adolescent drug treatment models recommended by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Both models are based on scientific research that shows families are the most important setting for adolescent development and both models seek to produce behavioral changes within the family unit. Evaluation studies of the programs have indicated that, in one study, BSFT reduced substance abuse from 93 percent of the treatment group to 20 percent of the treatment group. Evaluations of MDFT have found similar effectiveness, with results sustained following the cessation of treatment. Figures