Module 3: Treatment Strategies

6B. Continual Reinforcement to Stay in Treatment

Once youth and their family make a commitment to participate in treatment, they must be continually reinforced for their involvement. Otherwise, they are likely to drop out of treatment when things get difficult. The following suggestions are positive incentives intended to encourage youth to stay in treatment until success is achieved:

• Reward small steps accomplished along the way
• Provide certificates of achievement
• Conduct graduation and congratulatory sessions
• Include peer models of success
• Use participation in other services as incentive to engage in treatment
• Use success in treatment program as a way to reduce overall juvenile justice sanction

When compared to the juvenile justice system, treatment programs generally have the following characteristics that are more appealing to youth:

• Less intrusive supervision (e.g., reduce frequency of drug screening [using urinalysis]; discontinue electronic monitoring)
• Less restrictive curfew
• Reduction in length of supervision
• Reduction in community service obligation

Care should be taken when deciding how to respond to a youth’s noncompliance. The treatment system (versus the juvenile justice system) should provide the "initial" consequences if the youth fails to comply with treatment. If treatment problems automatically trigger a response from the juvenile justice system, it is likely to interfere with the therapeutic relationship formed between the youth/youth’s family and the treatment professional/agency. If necessary, develop a continuum of treatment and juvenile justice responses.