A Pragmatic Clinical Approach to Substance Abuse Prevention

Research has led to the development of hundreds of evidence-based prevention interventions, most of which are school-based prevention programs. Most primary care clinicians and child/adolescent behavioral health clinicians are unfamiliar with and/or lack training in evidence-based prevention interventions. However, most clinicians in these settings routinely screen children for developmental delays and skills deficits that increase the risk of developing substance abuse and a broad range of mental health and behavior problems by adolescence. It is hoped that the broader use of these practical evidence-based prevention tools may expand the prevention workforce to address the current youth mental health crisis.