Document Type
Portfolio
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
Goal Statement: The goal of this portfolio is to explore methods of reducing substance abuse among New Jersey teenagers through increased substance use education for students and families. Specifically, through programs developed for use in the public school system, ensuring that children have equal access to the materials.
Significant Findings:
In the state of New Jersey, adolescent substance abuse continues to be an ongoing problem. Rates of abuse of specific substances, such as marijuana vapes, have increased over recent years (NCHS Data Query System, 2024). Significant risk factors include a lack of proper substance abuse education, social normalization of substance abuse, and limited access to positive and supportive communities. Prevention of adolescent substance abuse can be approached though the lens of the Theory of Planned Behavior, which suggests that an individual’s personal beliefs about a particular action will determine their likelihood of engaging in that behavior (Brookes, 2023). With this approach, addressing individual personal views on substance abuse, while promoting skills necessary to abstain from substance use, is key to a preventative program.
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps:
As professional counselors, we can assist in addressing the rising concern of substance abuse among New Jersey Adolescents by approaching the problem from a variety of angles. We can work to identify and address risk factors such as personal beliefs of substance abuse. It can additionally be helpful to promote protective factors by encouraging positive engagement in school and other communities. The LifeSkills Training program, detailed further in part three of this paper, can be utilized to provide adolescents with the education and skills necessary to refrain from engagement in susbstance use behaviors. Furthermore, we can encourage clients of diverse communities to engage in their cultural groups for support and connectedness. Finally, we can work to stay open minded to the experiences of our clients, and we can remain open to learning from them and their experiences to further our understanding of the problem at hand.
