Module 3: Treatment Strategies

Summary

Positive long-term outcomes have been poor when traditional mental health and substance abuse treatment interventions have been applied without integrating the full range of risk factors and domains specific to youth with co-occurring disorders in the juvenile justice system. Emerging treatment approaches include family and community involvement and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders via coordinated and collaborative treatment plans. However, treatment of youth with co-occurring disorders is almost always complex and challenging due to their unique barriers to treatment and special characteristics that complicate treatment. These barriers and characteristics are related to both the youth and the juvenile justice, mental health, and substance abuse treatment systems. Strategies to engage youth and their families include written treatment agreements and continual reinforcement to stay in treatment. Systems barriers are addressed in Module 4, and strategies are presented for coordinating and integrating the juvenile justice, mental health, and substance abuse treatment systems.