Drug Education Blog

New brief intervention resource

Many of the things I have learned in life did not result from formal lessons. At school, I learned as much, positive and negative, from the ways teachers and administrators reacted to my propensity to push the boundaries of tolerance, or sometimes blatantly break the rules, as I did from well-intentioned lesson plans. Far more, if you limit it to those lessons I still remember and use.

There are many opportunities to engage in drug education in the school setting. That is why, in addition to iMinds, we have developed a new resource to support brief interventions by school professionals. Grounded in a motivational approach, the resource offers a way for school counsellors and others to help students explore making positive changes to their behaviour, including their use of alcohol and other drugs.

This resource can support a school counsellor or administrator working with a student facing disciplinary action for their use of alcohol or other drugs, a teacher who both senses a student is struggling with substance use and wants to help prevent a crisis situation, or any school professional (or any adult) who wants to help a young person. Expertise about drugs is not required. The resource provides a review of basic skills to connect and build trust with students, suggestions for engaging them in meaningful discussions and some basic tools to help the process.

Supporting young people is not rocket science. But it is an art form that takes dedication and practice. It can happen in the classroom. It can happen in the hallway. It can happen in the principal’s office or the locker room or the cafeteria. Our new resource is meant to help you make a difference in any of these or a hundred other settings around the school. Check it out at the Art of Motivation. Let us know what you think.