School Counselor Steps Against Substance Abuse

School counselors and educators have a moral imperative when it comes to drug addiction and substance abuse in today’s school communities. Across the United States, 35 percent of high school seniors surveyed in 2015 used marijuana and nearly a quarter had tried cocaine, ecstasy (MDMA), and prescription drugs such as Adderall, OxyContin, Vicodin, and more. Moreover, adolescents abuse alcohol more than any illicit drug and it causes the most harm – teen alcohol abuse is responsible for nearly 200,000 emergency room visits and 4,300 deaths among kids under 21 each year, according to 2019 data from the Recovery Village. These numbers only reveal part of the problem. In 2017, the percentage of adolescents aged 12 to 17 who used illicit drugs in the past year was higher among those who experienced a major depressive episode (MDE). SAMSHA reports that an estimated 345,000 adolescents (1.4 percent of all adolescents) had a substance use disorder and an MDE in the past year. Therefore, school counselors must be knowledgeable and stand ready to support and intervene as soon as students begin to show any warning signs of substance abuse.
 
The U.S. Department of Education (2019) listed substance abuse warning signs among students by level of education. The following highlights some of their findings.
 
Elementary School

• Poor mental/motor development
• Memory and perception problems
• Speech and language problems

Middle School

• Depression
• Secretive behaviors
• Poor hygiene/changes in physical appearance

High School

• Changes in relationships with friends and family
• Problems with police
• Unhealthy peer/dating relationships
• Disengagement from school

School counselors and other school leaders know these warning signs overlap with other potential student concerns, such as being victims of abuse, suicidal ideation, self-harm and more. Nevertheless, there is an increasing need for school counselors to specifically focus on substance abuse given the rise in opioid-related deaths in adolescence and early adulthood. This heightens the need for school counselors to engage in professional development around the topic to be knowledgeable and readily available for students.

One systematic way to address drug addiction and substance abuse is through the implementation of evidence-based prevention programs and resources. Studies show these programs positively alter the balance between risk and protective factors for drug use in families, schools, and communities. By boosting protective factors, these programs try to eliminate or reduce risk factors for drug use. These evidence-based drug addiction prevention programs are grouped into three categories designed for various ages, and can be used in individual or group settings, such as school and home. Universal programs address risk and protective factors common to all children in a given setting, such as a school or community. Selective programs are for groups of children and teens who have specific factors that put them at increased risk of drug use. Indicated programs are designed for youth who have already started using drugs. For more information on these programs, please access the guide, Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
 
The data-driven structure of comprehensive school counseling programs also affords school counselors the opportunity to respond systematically when needs assessment data indicate a call to action. Using the evidence-based resources will require providing individual and small-group counseling and preventive classroom lessons covering multiple strategies, resources, consequences of drug use and ways to help others. Exploring web based programs (visit www.Everfi.com for sample resources), sharing public service announcements highlighting the need for prevention at evening events as often as possible, and breaking the stigma around this topic are additional steps to address the concern. Furthermore, school counselors can leverage community resources in their locality to ensure a continuum of service extending outside of school. From professional development for all faculty to awareness lessons for students and families, school counselors can begin this work now. Early and timely interventions related to drug addiction and substance abuse will save lives and positively impact communities for years to come.
 
Contact Robert Jamison, a director on the VSCA board, at vscadirector5@gmail.com.