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Article Excerpt
Adolescent substance abuse continues to be a societal problem for which we need high quality, cost-effective treatments. That is, substance use and abuse by adolescents is associated with a more rapid progression into addiction, delayed entry into adult roles (that is, adult relationships, employment, and so forth), and high societal costs (Chambers, Taylor, & Potenza, 2003; Kandel, Davies, Karus, & Yamaguchi, 1986; Miller, Levy, Spicer, &Taylor, 2006).Thus, we need to expand treatment options for adolescents with substance abuse problems. This article describes a new treatment program, developed by social workers, called Strengths-Oriented Family Therapy (SOFT). Specifically, we describe the rationale for SOFT, intervention techniques, and the linkages with social work values.
OVERVIEW OF STRENGTHS-ORIENTED FAMILY THERAPY (SOFT)
SOFT is a manualized treatment developed for a five-year project to expand and enhance adolescent drug treatment in two counties in rural and semi-rural Iowa (SAMHSA TI 13354). Although SOFT shares many components with other prominent models of family treatment (Hamilton, Brantley, Tims, Angelovich, & McDougall, 2001; Liddle, 2001), this model has three unique features: (1) a pretreatment family motivational enhancement session called the Strengths-Oriented Referral for Teens (SORT) (Smith & Hall, 2007), (2) a foundation in solution-focused language and treatment techniques, and (3) a formal strengths and resources assessment in the early stages of treatment. Overall, the SOFT approach contains four main activities: (1) family-based assessment and motivational feedback (that is, SORT), (2) work with individual families that progresses through three stages, (3) multifamily groups, and (4) SOFT case management, as needed.
Rationale for SOFT
We have a strong rationale for why SOFT should be an efficacious treatment model for adolescents who abuse substances. First, the quality of family relationships and parenting predict adolescent drug use (Steinberg, Lamborn, Darling, Mounts, & Dornbusch, 1994). Second, family-based treatment approaches are efficacious for treating adolescents with substance abuse problems (Austin, Macgowan, &Wagner, 2005; Szapocznik & Williams, 2000; Williams & Chang, 2000). Third, we identify and amplify client strengths, use solution-focused language, and employ motivational interviewing techniques. These strategies foster increases in client perceptions of self-efficacy, change talk, and commitment to treatment, which are known predictors of treatment success (Amrhein, Miller, Yahne, Palmer, & Fulcher, 2003). Fourth, adolescents presenting for substance abuse treatment have multiple clinical and psychosocial needs and many barriers to receiving treatment, which forms the rationale for providing case management services (Mensinger, Diamond, Kaminer, & Wintersteen, 2006). In summary, the SOFT model is grounded in research on how to treat adolescents with substance abuse problems.
SOFT ACTIVITIES
SOFT...
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