Use of Motivational Interviewing in Substance Use Counseling for Adolescents Coping with Addiction

Abstract

Record ID: 170

Award(s): Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentorship

Program Affiliation: NA

Presentation Type: Video

Abstract: The adolescent years can be turbulent emotionally, socially, and biologically. The change from childhood to adolescence brings new challenges to maintaining one's mental well-being, like social development, finding a sense of belonging, and in Erik Erikson's developmental theory, finding a "sense of identity in occupation, sex roles, politics, and religion" (cortland.edu, n.d.). Some adolescents seek out brief relief from the emotional toll of adolescent development from alcohol and drugs. Other adolescents use alcohol and drugs and label their behavior as "fun". Regardless of the impetus, when the time comes that usage and using behavior becomes problematic, many methods of intervention are available to the willing helpers and clinicians that work to assist adolescents toward recovery. Of these many interventions, this team will study the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing as it is used to treat adolescents with substance abuse disorders in both group and individual settings. We will use a scoping review of peer-reviewed studies in PubMed, PsycNet, and Google Scholar, from the past two years to identify interventions that work and discuss areas of intervention that still need improvement for employing Motivational Interviewing based on research. We will present ideas for applying this technique to help adolescents and provide our ideas for moving research in this field ahead to assist adolescents and their families.