Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Approaches

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Approaches

Judith Wallace

Grand Canyon University: PCN 535

August 09, 2012

Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Approaches

Going through adolescence is a tumultuous time, with frequent fluctuations in emotion. The adolescent with substance abuse problems has an even harder journey than their normal peer counterparts. When teens having substance abuse issues pursue treatment the research suggests that therapy that includes the whole family may well be one of the most helpful approaches. Using Multi-dimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), as proven in studies, is correlated with higher proportions of improvement across the familial unit. The following will discuss; a brief history and working definition of the philosophies of MDFT and the stages of treatment used to produce a positive outcome.

Sometime in the 1930's MDFT started when a group of social scientists began to appreciate the interconnectedness and interdependent components of the family system. They recognized the constant interaction between individuals in a familial unit and how they affect the individuals therein. In the early 1980's Dr. Howard Liddle, a primary in the field, adapted MDFT for adolescents experiencing behavior and substance abuse issues. The method of MDFT is an empirically supported approach that purports that when there is change with one individual member the other members of the family are affected and as such the family system is affected. (Treatment of adolescents with substance use disorders, 1999) It is considered a multisystem model because therapists work with both parents and children to facilitate new relationships.

MDFT is primarily an outpatient treatment used with teens and their families. Unique to the method, is its use of phases in treatment, a normative base of what is considered usual is used. Therapists follow guideline and do not progress to the next phase until the current stage has been effectively completed. The first stage (approximately 3 weeks) is building a foundation; here the therapist uses appropriate distress to motivate and focus, create expectations and to visit school and neighborhood. The second phases (approximately 5 weeks) is working the theme; is mobilization, making small steps toward recovery, learning to think in stages, and using errors as opportunities. Seal the change is the third stage (approximately 4 weeks) is the honest appraisal of current status, to accept imperfection, to accentuate all changes that were made, to assess impending needs while concentrating on their next steps. (Liddle, 2002) All phases are done as one-to-one collaborations with the teen and their parents/guardians. This however is subject to