Drug Use and Young People: Change and Choice

The workshop is for anyone working with young people where substance use is a concern. This workshop is not about drugs – it’s about understanding both a young person’s inner and outer worlds, and what drives drug use in terms of who a person is and the world they personally live in. With this as background, the workshop is about firstly understanding drug use in terms of our society generally; secondly what it might mean to each individual person; and thirdly what we can offer that might help young people lead healthy and meaningful lives.

This experiential workshop takes you through the actual framework you can use in understanding a young person’s drug use. You will have a chance to experience the strategies that you can use with individuals and groups. Learn about the motivational interviewing stages of change and how it can be made youth-friendly. There will also be a chance to work with others in the group to experience the joy and difficulty of promoting change in any person!

Participants will learn:

• Principles fundamental to understanding drug use in general
• What evidence tells us tends to work and what tends not to
• A framework for understanding/assessing a person’s drug use
• Practical strategies for working with individuals and groups
• How to adapt for young people and use the Stages of Change from Motivational Interviewing
• Understand the role of harm/minimisation/reduction and why it is controversial

Who should attend?

Anyone working with young people