For my grant proposal, I choose to address substance abuse among at-risk Alachua county youth with 3 or more ACEs as a negative coping mechanism. I developed a trauma-informed therapy intervention program that aims to educate the youth about positive coping mechanisms and foster social support among feel at-risk peers.
Summary: Children who experience adverse childhood experiences and traumatic events are at a higher risk of partaking in negative coping mechanisms such as substance abuse and addiction, which can have negative consequences on their mental, physical and emotional health. Alachua county data has shown that children with 3 or more ACEs are at a higher risk of turning to substance abuse to cope with their ACEs. A trauma-informed therapy program focused on positive healthy coping mechanisms and skills, and social support can educate children on alternative healthy coping skills and activities they can partake in to overcome ACEs and traumatic events. Children can also build a social support system among their peers to gain a sense of belonging and strive toward personal resilience. Education on positive healthy coping skills can help decrease the prevalence of substance abuse among at-risk Alachua county middle and high school students.
Trauma-Informed Principles: This program is a trauma-informed approach that aims to educate youths who are at risk of substance abuse and have 3 or more ACEs about healthy coping mechanisms. The program also aims to provide emotional support and connect them to any possible community resources. SAMHSA’s trauma-informed principles will be utilized in this program. All staff within the program will be trained in trauma-informed care.
The first principle this program will incorporate is safety (SAMHSA, 2014). This principle will be incorporated through a designated classroom assigned for group therapy sessions which will provide a physically and psychologically safe space for students to share their experiences and story. The classroom will have visible exit doors and windows, sharp pointy objects will be removed, and will serve as a safe space. Information disclosed in therapy will be confidential unless in the case of self-harm or the harm of others. The second principle that will be incorporated is trustworthiness and transparency (SAMHSA, 2014). This will be addressed through mental health counselors who will explain the purpose of the program to the selected students and they will be asked for consent for their participation. Therapists will work on developing trust through honest communication, patience, empathy, vulnerability, and providing support to students. This program hopes to build a sense of trust between the students and the mental health counselors. Additionally, another principle that will be incorporated is peer support (SAMHSA,2014). This principle will be incorporated through group therapy sessions that aim to foster a support system between the students (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014).
Levels of the Social-Ecological Model: The CDC Social-Ecological model will serve as the framework for this program and incorporate the individual, relationship, and community level (CDC, 2019). The individual level of the program will be addressed through one on one therapy sessions where at-risk middle and high school students can openly discuss personal and family concerns and hardships. The individual level will also be addressed through one on one meetings with social workers that will be available to all students on an as-needed basis. The individual-level aims to educate students on healthy coping mechanisms for ACEs, provide them with school and community resources, support from the mental health counselors and aims to decrease substance abuse as a negative coping mechanism for ACEs. The relationship level will be addressed through group therapy sessions conducted with other students. This provides the opportunity for at-risk youth to see that they are not the only ones who have experienced ACEs and they do not have to attempt to heal alone either. The group therapy sessions aim to foster a sense of community and positive relationships among the group of students. The community level will be addressed through the social worker connecting students with community resources as needed. The community level will also be addressed by the collaboration between the selected Alachua county middle and high schools, the mental health counselors and social workers at the Alachua county health department, and master and doctoral mental health and social work students at the University of Florida.
Public Health Framework: The Trauma-Informed Philanthropy guide states that public health promotes health and wellbeing, recognizes the benefits of a multi-level intervention, and prevents adverse events (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016). This program will utilize a public health approach and framework to educate at-risk youth with 3 or more ACEs about healthy coping mechanisms. This program focuses on the behavioral health and education sector (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016) through the inclusion of mental health counselors, social workers, and educating at-risk students about healthy coping mechanisms.
This program aligns mainly with a secondary level of prevention (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016) given that the target audience is at-risk middle and high school students with three or more ACEs. The program activities and goals aim to reduce and prevent substance abuse use and addiction as a negative coping mechanism for adverse childhood experiences that at-risk middle and high school students have faced. Through the initial ACEs screening of this program, adverse childhood experiences can be detected at a point in time where children are at risk. If a student reports on the screening that they are currently utilizing substance abuse as a coping mechanism for adverse childhood experiences, they will be shifted to tertiary care (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016) and provided with both weekly individualized therapy sessions and social support groups. This program also addresses primary prevention (Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, 2016) through teaching students healthy coping skills and mechanisms with the aim of improving mental health outcomes.
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