Daniel B Jacobs
William James College, USA
Title: Preventing opioid abuse before it happens in schools to the rescue: an exploration of substance abuse prevention and intervention options for primary and secondary schools
Biography
Biography: Daniel B Jacobs
Abstract
In recent years, opioid abuse linked deaths of young people and older adults have gathered a great deal of media attention. Many reactive responses have targeted adults but have neglected our younger students, where substance abuse concerns often start. Clinicians and educators working in primary and secondary schools have the opportunity to implement substance abuse prevention efforts that can effectively help the opioid problem before it happens and if given the right training in assessment and intervention, but substance abuse education in mental health graduate programs is limited or absent. School based clinicians can play a powerful role in the development of substance abuse programming that addresses psychological concerns and fosters school connectedness, self-esteem, self-efficacy, which can help save students’ lives. In this session we will look at evidence based research on motivations behind opioid and other substance abusing behaviors and on programmatic options designed to effectively address these concerns at early and later stages of usage patterns. We will also look at how this information can be implemented in actual school settings and not just in pilot or research settings. We will also explore the results of the presenter’s recent study which surveyed the principals/headmasters of high schools in Massachusetts about substance abuse prevention and intervention knowledge and practices, and how this information is being incorporated into a graduate level training course entitled “Addressing Substance Abuse in Schools.” This training will focus on practical strategies which can help students, clinicians and schools more effectively address the challenge of student opioid and other substance abuse.