Following completion of a CD assessment, if a young person meets the criteria for addiction, Kala can usually get that person into an appropriate treatment program. But it gets more challenging, she says, with the kids "in the cracks"-the underage experimenters who may have gotten caught drinking alcohol or smoking pot but who are not diagnosed as addicted and who barely meet the criteria for substance abuse. For these infrequent users, Kala said addiction treatment is inappropriate.

"Yet the family shows such initiative by coming in; you want to do something to help them," said Kala. "Typically, it's the first time a problem has appeared and the parents are shocked and scared and want something done. There is always a legitimate concern when a minor uses illegal substances, so you don't want to turn families away."

"Parents were struggling and seeking help and we realized we needed to get something in place for them," said Kim Lundholm-Eades, a licensed marriage and family therapist and supervisor of Family Services at HCYF. The pieces began to fall into place when Hazelden published the Teen Intervene curriculum last spring and HCYF decided to use it as one of its clinical tools.

Teen Intervene was developed by Ken Winters, PhD, director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research at the University of Minnesota and a member of Hazelden's Butler Center for Research Scientific Advisory Panel. The curriculum helps clinicians address teenagers who have experienced mild to moderate problems associated with substance abuse. The three-session program (about 90 minutes each) integrates stages of change theory, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing. These time-tested therapeutic components have been simplified and adjusted for adolescents and include a heavy emphasis on client engagement and consideration of behavioral change goals. A facilitator guide provides an overview and history of the curriculum, step-by-step instructions for conducting each session, and forms and worksheets for adolescents and parents.

"The motivational questioning techniques get young people to take a deeper look at their drug and alcohol use and encourages them to make an individual commitment to change," explained Lundholm-Eades. "It's really a respectful conversation and process that elicits their own responses in their own language."

Kala said that because the teen participants define their own problem and develop their own goals as they go through the workbook with their counselor, most are cooperative and engaged. "This is based on their own observations and knowledge of what works for them," said Kala. "It's not just some authority figure imposing rules on them about what they should or should not do."

Parents play key role
The third session involves the parents, said Kala. "Some parents are completely new to this, and this helps them focus on options and gives them information so they can better figure out what's normal, whether they need to be highly concerned, or how closely they need to monitor their child."

Lundholm-Eades said that all of the parents they've worked with have been highly motivated and had strong beliefs and values around substance use. Kala added, "Their involvement sends the message to the young people that their parents really care, and that alone is valuable."

It is important, Kala said, for minors to realize they are breaking the law when they drink alcohol or experiment with drugs. "They see the kids in residential treatment here and also learn that if they keep doing what they're doing, the next step could be addiction treatment for them too. Hopefully, the Teen-Intervene curriculum will help them make better choices in their lives."

HCYF began the Teen Intervene program in October. The program will be offered at other Hazelden mental health centers. For more information on referring clients to the program, call 763-509-3818. For more information on the curriculum, see information in our online bookstore and call Hazelden Publishing at 800-328-9000.

--by Cynthia Orange

Published in The Voice, Winter 2004