Evidence-Based Practice

We have developed several factsheets that describe each of the major Evidence Based Practices that exist for Adolescent Substance Abuse. Evidence Based Practices are approaches to treatment and care that have been studied and tested with different populations and have demonstrated significant positive outcomes. In our case these may include reductions in drug use and/or delinquent behavior, improved peer and family relationships, and improved self-control, among others.

Have a question about an approach you don't see here? Submit your ideas for future EBP factsheets by emailing bestasat@uncg.edu.

EBP Summaries for Caregivers (pdf): We have created a four-page document aimed at parents and caregivers with brief summaries of the Evidence Based Practices to give a quick overview of the different treatments that are available.

Evidence-Based Practice for Adolescent Substance Abuse: A Primer for Providers and Families (pdf)- The Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Project at UNCG’s Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships compiled this document to serve as a comprehensive introduction to several important evidence-based practices for adolescent substance abuse assessment and treatment. Inclusion in this primer does not constitute an endorsement of the approach by our agency. Our intent is to provide information to parents and providers for assistance in making informed choices about which treatment approaches to use.

This primer contains a brief overview of 11 evidence-based treatment programs (EBTs) and one evidence-based assessment commonly used in the adolescent substance abuse field. They were selected because of their inclusion in several databases of EBPs and the strength of the literature available on them. See Appendix B for a matrix that summarizes those databases and which EBPs they include. A brief description of behavior therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy comes first because they form the foundation of several of the treatments presented. We also are including a four-page fact sheet for caregivers that provides a brief description of each approach. The primer concludes with additional resources highlighting the most current available research on each EBP (see Appendix C).


Each section of the EBP Primer has also been separated out for quick reference:

• Acknowledgements (pdf)
• Overview of the Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Project (pdf)
• Introduction (pdf)
• Foundations: Behavior Therapy (BT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), & Motivational Interviewing (MI) (pdf)
• Evidence-Based Assessment: Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) (pdf)
• CYT Series: MET/CBT (pdf)
• CYT Series: Family Support Network (FSN) (pdf)
• CYT Series: Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) (pdf)
• CYT Series: Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) (pdf)
• Trauma-Focus Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) (pdf)
• Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) (pdf)
• Seven Challenges® Program (pdf)
• Brief-Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) (pdf)
• Multisystemic Therapy (MST) (pdf)
• Relapse Prevention Therapy (RPT) (pdf)
• Seeking Safety (SS) (pdf)
• Caregiver Evidence-Based Practice Summaries (pdf): We have created a four-page document aimed at parents and caregivers with brief summaries of the Evidence Based Practices to give a quick overview of the different treatments that are available.
• Appendix A: Acronyms and Definitions (pdf)
• Appendix B: Evidence-Based Practice Matrix (pdf)
• Appendix C: Additional Resources (pdf)

These publications were produced by UNCG Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships in collaboration with the North Carolina Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services with financial support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center or Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (grant number 6 J79 T117387-02-2). Reproduction of the texts are encouraged; however, copies may not be sold.