Using Strengths-Based Practices to Improve Outcomes for System Involved Youth who Use Marijuana, Alcohol, & Other Drugs

Robert Dousa

Training Description

One of the most significant challenges for those supporting system involved youth is to effectively engage youth and help them build constructive, transformational behaviors that are sustainable and lead to healthy community engagement and improved outcomes. This is especially challenging when system involved youth are using substances as self-medication. In this training, we will explore how to enhance our capacity to support system involved youth by examining Strengths-Based Practices (especially designed for substance using transition age youth) that prepare us to foster alliance and promote young people’s emotional development and wellbeing and strengthen their resilience and ability to heal from traumatic events and lead a meaningful life. Additionally, we will explore the characteristics of problematic substance use and Healing Engagement Strategies to address the issues. Practicing and sharing the methods outlined by this workshop will allow us to improve the practice of how we empower system-involved youth and families.

Learning Objectives

● Participants will be able to identify at least 2 characteristics of problematic substance use that hinders system-involved youth from being successful in life.

● Participants will be able to identify at least 2 Strengths-Based Practices that redirect the energies of system-involved youth away from using substances as self-medication.

● Participants will be able to identify at least 2 Healing Engagement Strategies which can be utilized with substance using system-involved youth.

Agenda 

2:00-2:05pm  Sign-in and Introductions

2:05-2:30pm  Learn characteristics of problematic substance use (unpacking THC, Alcohol, & trending drugs) that hinder system-involved youth from being successful in life.

2:30-2:55pm  Examine Strengths-Based Practices that redirect the energies of system-involved youth away from using substances for self-medication while fostering protective factors of TAY.

2:55-3:20pm  Learn Healing Engagement Strategies for substance using system-involved youth

which support improved outcomes through fostering their resilience and helping them heal from traumatic events.

3:20-3:50pm  Develop plan for their system involved youth while roleplaying with others strategies for redirecting the system-involved youth energy towards healthy behavioral change.

3:50-4:00pm  Wrap Up & Closing

Meet Our Trainers

Mr. Robert Dousa is the founding Managing General Partner of Independent Strengths Building Consulting. This business includes: Individual Anger Management & Addictive Behavior Recovery Coaching, Conducting training of: Situational Leadership/Strengths-Based Life Skills Coaching, Brief Intervention & Motivational Interviewing, Drug, Anger Management, & Family interventions, Neuroscience-Based Leadership & Rapport Building, & Organizational Prevention Strategy Consultation, & Mandated Reporter Training for CA. Mr. Robert Dousa's has retired from the Marin County Office of Education Safe Schools Department and is now providing individual life coaching, intervention coach training, and consulting to those supporting system involved youth. Prior to retirement, he developed the majority of his practice from his work as the Program Manager for the Oakland Unified School District’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs Intervention program from 2005 to 2021. Prior to that, he served as a substance abuse counselor in school districts in Alameda County, CA from 2000 to 2005.

This course meets the qualifications for (2.0) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.