Treatment Tools

Addiction Treatment Tools

This section includes information and resources for the treatment of Co-Existing Problems (CEP) for tamariki & taiohi | children and youth, e.g. recommended therapeutic guidance, harm reduction and relapse prevention.

 

Please click on the tab headings below to view resources:


Common Therapeutic Models

A number of individual therapies have shown promising results as interventions in the management of CEP in children and young people. 
The best evidence has been found for Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Solutions Focused Therapy
  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
  • Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Family Focused Interventions
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
  • Acceptance Commitment Theory

► Youth AOD Toolbox provides further information on models which can be accessed 

 

Adolescent Detoxification Guidelines

These guidelines were developed to for health professionals supporting young people going through withdrawal from substances.

Evidence-based worksheets

The following worksheets can be used in individual treatment sessions with the young people you are working with that provide motivational interviewing and CBT frameworks and concepts:

Harm Reduction

Harm Reduction includes a wide range of strategies and information aimed at minimising the harmful effects of substance use on young people's lives.

Young people respond more positively to strategies that recognise and respect their ability to make their own decisions. The following resources provide AOD information, and include some harm reduction strategies for young people to help them keep safe and make positive changes.

Resources

Assessing and Managing Harm: Giving the best advice

We have some Harm Reduction advice tips on our SACS ABC desktop quick reference guide, these tips (below) offer some general advice on strategies you can use with young people to encourage positive change. For more targetted tips, see more under the table.

Where to for more information?

School Approaches

Tūturu

A collection of resources to enable a 'whole of school' approach to alcohol and other drugs preparedness.

Having young people engaged with education is proven to be a significant protective factor for young people regarding a number of negative health and social outcomes, including substance use problems.

Tūturu helps NZ schools to implement school-wide changes that improve the wellbeing of their students and develops their critical thinking.

The first focus area of Tūturu is reducing alcohol and other drug-related harm in ways that promote student engagement and wellbeing.

The goal is to prepare students to live healthy and successful lives in a world where alcohol and other drugs exist.

Please see www.tuturu.org.nz for more information and check out the video below:

Helping young people stay engaged in education

A presentation by Ben Birks on setting up a school-based treatment service.
You can find the video by clicking here.

Relapse Prevention

Other Links

  • Leading Lights: (Canterbury NZ) Leading Lights provides guidance pathways to help educators and supporting services in Canterbury recognise and respond to the needs of individual children in Years 1 to 8.
  • YoDAA: (Australia) 'Youth AoD Toolbox' The definitive resource for evidence-based youth AOD practice https://yodaa.org.au/toolbox