ATI will continue for another year, but New Futures’ oversight ended in December 2009.  The adolescent treatment providers have successfully integrated evidence based treatment into their practices and no longer need the coaching or support of New Futures’ staff.

Program: Belknap County Adolescent Treatment Initiative
Fiscal Agent: Child & Family Services
Lead Agencies: Child & Family Services & Genesis Behavioral Health Services

Program Description:
Youth in Belknap County will benefit from a continuum of evidence-based services including screening, assessment and treatment. A strong community team has been assembled to deliver the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA), an evidence-based model of substance abuse treatment. ACRA is comprised of 10 individual treatment sessions, 2 individual caregiver sessions and 2 family sessions. ACRA focuses on rearranging environmental contingencies so that abstaining from drugs is more rewarding than using them.

Strong community partnerships are in place to effectively identify youth in need of treatment. Referral agencies will be trained in motivational interviewing techniques and will learn how to administer the CRAFFT screening tool as a means of identifying youth in need. Youth who are identified as at-promise for substance abuse will be referred to the partnering treatment agencies for a full assessment using the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN). When appropriate, youth will be referred for treatment using the ACRA model. Relationships with the Belknap County Citizen’s Council, Youth Services Bureau, CoRe, local schools and probation officers have been developed to ensure appropriate screening, referral, planning and connection to other community resources and activities.

Target Numbers: 16-20 community members will be trained in motivational interviewing and screening techniques. It is anticipated that 80 youth will be screened each year with 40 completing ACRA treatment program.

Expected Outcomes: Decrease alcohol and other drug use and abuse; decrease juvenile justice involvement; increase educational functioning; improve family relations; and increase involvement in pro-social activities.

Program Description:
The Center for Adolescent Health is an integrated, flexible, interdisciplinary, regional system of care for treating adolescents with a wide range of alcohol and other drug problems. The Center for Adolescent Health seeks to establish a system of care to: identify youth who are using substances before serious impairment develops; provide youth and their families with information and motivation-enhancing interventions coordinated through their primary care office; comprehensively assess adolescent using the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN); develop and implement individualized treatment plans; track adolescents through the treatment process and return the youth to their primary care provider for ongoing monitoring and relapse prevention.

Youth will have access to two evidence-based models of treatment including the Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MET/CBT7) and Adolescent Portable Therapy (APT) a more intensive, home-based model of family treatment. In addition, this project will strengthen the regional primary care physician’s ability to screen, assess and provide brief interventions for youth at-promise of substance abuse.

Target Numbers: Nearly 700 youth will have access to this enhanced screening process through primary care visits. The Center for Adolescent Health expects to receive 75 referrals each year, with 40 youth engaging in MET/CBT7 or APT.

Expected Outcomes: Increased knowledge of where to refer youth with substance abuse problems, increase in routine screening for substance abuse; an increase in the number of treatment providers using evidence-based models; a reduction in community wide substance abuse and an enhancement in health indicators.

Program Description:
Youth Empowerment Services will be available to youth and families living in Sullivan and Southern Grafton Counties. Schools, diversion programs, juvenile justice agencies and parents will be able to refer youth for comprehensive assessment using the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN). Partnering agencies will deliver Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 5 (MET/CBT 5) to youth in need of substance abuse treatment. MET/CBT 5 is an evidence-based, 5 session treatment model. Two motivational sessions focus on identifying factors that motivate youth to change their substance using behavior. Three cognitive behavioral sessions follow to teach youth practical coping and refusal skills. An additional two parent sessions have been added to this model to support parents through their child’s recovery process. Treatment is expected to last a total of twelve weeks.

Given the rural nature of Sullivan and Southern Grafton Counties, three treatment agencies are training staff in use of the GAIN and MET/CBT 5. This will allow families to locate counselors in an area close to them. Sessions will be held in locations convenient to youth and their families including school, home, recreation centers and local counseling offices. Youth needing more intensive services will be referred elsewhere by the YES counseling staff.

Target Numbers: Forty-five youth will complete MET/CBT 5 in the first year of this project. This number is expected to rise to nearly 100 in five years.

Expected Outcomes: Decrease substance use; reduction in substance related problems; increased family engagement in treatment; increased treatment completion rates.

Program Description:
The Monadnock Adolescent Treatment Initiative (MATI) will offer an evidence-based, community centered system of outpatient care for adolescents in the Monadnock region. MATI will offer youth and their families a multi-disciplinary support team, coupled with evidence-based assessment and treatment approaches. Treatment services will be offered at geographically accessible sites such as schools, community centers and home. Youth will be screened using the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) and when appropriate, referred to counselors skilled at delivering the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA).

A strong emphasis will be placed on youth skill and strength development. Community partners such as: area schools, City of Keene Youth Services Department, the YMCA, community centers and other youth serving entities will be engaged to provide pro-social opportunities and aftercare support for youth and their families.

Target Numbers: Forty youth a year will complete a full assessment and 32 will be engaged in ACRA.

Expected Outcomes: Increased treatment completion rate, increased number of families participating in treatment, reduction in substance use related problems and related academic and juvenile justice system interactions.