Understanding Helps Therapists

“…the resistance of many families of substance abusing adolescents to becoming involved in treatment also contributes to therapist reticence about working with these youths and their families. However, the author’s experience has indicated that the resistance of therapists to treating this population in part stems from the therapists’ lack of practical knowledge of how to engage substance abusing adolescents and their families in treatment. Once therapists have a viable framework for understanding substance abuse and specific interventions upon which to draw, they are more willing to work with substance abusing adolescents, and treatment is more successful” (Weidman, 1985).