AOD PREVENTION & INTERVENTION

Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and Intervention Services

New Connections provides a variety of substance abuse prevention and intervention services in Contra Costa County.

We have provided "primary" prevention services in schools, businesses and community settings for over 20 years. They are oriented to educate young people, those working with youth, and the community at large to intervene in the destructive cycle of addiction and related behaviors. They employ curricula that have been developed by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention and adapted as needed for our community.

Prevention activities include substance abuse education and related presentations and projects in the schools, and in-service training and consultation for school personnel and parents. We have also provided a popular weekly alcohol and other drug education series at our counseling centers for several years.

We have also provided school-based counseling services for over 20 years, including "secondary" prevention or intervention services for at-risk youth. Whenever possible, they employ recent research-based best practices from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Our counselors are placed in a wide variety of comprehensive middle and high schools. We also place prevention specialists in continuation high schools, community day schools and other settings which include highest-risk youth.

The counselors and prevention specialists work with school staff to provide assessment and screening for level of substance abuse, provide crisis counseling and intervention counseling, and refer addicted or abusing youth to our treatment services when needed. They also provide psychoeducational groups for youth on current critical issues for each school community, such as anger management, conflict resolution, stress management, and coping with stressed, at-risk or alcoholic home environments.

Information:

For more information about school-based counseling services, please call Barbara Petterson, LMFT, Director of School Counseling, at 925.363.5000 x 139. For additional information about AOD prevention services at New Connections, please call Cally Martin, LMFT, Director of Programs & Services, at 925.363.5000 x129.

New Connections:

New Connections is an innovative and award-winning counseling and recovery agency, which has served Contra Costa County since 1972. Among other honors, New Connections was named as one of the top 20 programs in the United States by the Association of State Alcohol & Drug Abuse Directors. For more information about the agency, please call 925.363.5000.