Document Type
Portfolio
Publication Date
2023
Abstract
Goal Statement: The goal of this prevention plan is to promote awareness of the adverse effects of substance use in Glenn County through workshops and work with schools and the community to increase resources for adolescents to decrease their partaking of substance use.
Significant Findings: The rates of adolescent substance use in Glenn County, California, have rapidly increased. From 2019 to 2021, marijuana usage in adolescents was 16% (California Department of Education, 2023), and 8.9% of adolescents reported consuming alcohol (National Center for Drug Statistics, 2023). There are many consequences of the early use of substances, like poorer verbal memory, visuospatial functioning, verbal language, and working memory by the time adolescents reach mid-young adulthood (Gray & Squeglia, 2018). Additionally, the LGBTQ+ is a subgroup that was found to have a higher risk of substance use as a form to cope due to trauma, rejection from their loved ones, stigmatization, and discrimination (Mereish et al., 2019). The recommendations of this prevention plan are for school counselors to collaborate with community members to share the consequences of adolescent substance use and advocate at the institution, community, and public policy levels for more resources to reduce and prevent substance use in adolescents in Glenn County, California.
Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps: For adolescent substance use preventive efforts to be effective, the next step is strengthening protective factors while reducing risk factors. Professionals must connect with the schools and community to determine their needs and existing preventive measures focusing on the prevention of adolescent substance use. Understanding the limitations of a rural community would allow professionals to advocate for more resources and connect with agencies to provide families and adolescents with evidence-based programs. Additionally, by working with schools to create a positive environment where adolescents feel safe and connected, they may refrain from using substances. Promoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience is an effective community evidence-based prevention program that involves university partners with community stakeholders to implement school and parenting programs to prevent adolescent substance use (Social Programs that Work, 2018). Through the selected school-based programs and family-focused programs, adolescents are taught refusal skills by their teachers, and their parents increase their parenting skills, and these adolescents are more likely to decline using substances if offered. Furthermore, counselors collaborating with parents and community members will be educated on the risks and consequences of adolescent substance use and how they can help prevent adolescents from using substances.
