SAP tip of the month February 2009
SAP teams do and do not
- SAP teams do:
- Intervene with high risk students.
- Refer high risk students.
- Make decisions based on observable behavior.
- Serve as student advocates.
- Work in conjunction with the schools’ disciplinary and support mechanisms.
- Make recommendations regarding school drug abuse programs and policies.
- Coordinate the continuity of care from school to treatment back to school
- Reach out to the community for resources
- SAP teams do not:
- Treat students.
- Rehabilitate students.
- Prescribe treatment.
- Diagnose.
- Serve as therapists.
- Set school policy.
- Replace normal disciplinary procedures.
- Prepare and implement treatment plans.
Nan Henderson’s six steps to fostering resiliency
- Increase bonding.
- Set clear and consistent boundaries.
- Teach life skills.
- Provide caring and support.
- Set and communicate high expectations.
- Provide opportunities for meaningful participation.
Ask your consultant for more information about Nan Henderson’s resiliency model
Drug awareness
- Use
- People begin using drugs for a number of reasons. They may want to relax, self medicate, fit in, act grown up, or get “high.”
- Abuse
- When a person repeatedly uses a drug, even when it poses a physical hazard (such as before driving), this is abuse. Abuse also refers to a person that continues to use despite the use causing (or making worse) problems with family, friends, school, employment or physical/mental health.
- Addiction
- Drug addiction is a disease. Most people with an addiction will need treatment to recover. When addicted, indviduals can’t stop using a drug even though it causes serious problems and concerns. They have very strong urges to use the drug and cannot control the urge, even when using the drug causes trouble with family, friends, work, school, money, health or the law.
- Recovery
- If the person admits to having a problem they can no longer deny their addiction. Medical help may be needed to get through the physical withdrawal symptoms. The person must learn about addiction and how drugs worked in their lives. To recover, they learn positive and healthy ways to cope with the day-to-day life without using drugs.
