The Missing Link: Substance Use Intervention For Youth Offenders

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Viola S. May, Florida State UniversityFollow
Sarah Fucillo, Husson UniversityFollow
Patrick Murphy, University of MemphisFollow

First Presenter's Institution

Florida State University

First Presenter’s Email Address

vmay@fsu.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Viola May serves as Teaching Faculty in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems at the Florida State University. Her clinical experience includes work with individuals who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, and abuse, and adolescents in detention and residential facilities. Her research interests include trauma, multicultural competence, social justice, and higher education preparation and success.

Second Presenter's Institution

Husson University

Second Presenter’s Email Address

fucillos@husson.edu

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Sarah Fucillo is an Assistant Professor in the College of Science and Humanities at Husson University. She has been a member of several interdisciplinary research teams focusing on the topics of trauma-informed care, at-risk youth and juvenile offender mental health treatment, trauma sensitive interventions, vicarious trauma, and trauma sensitive supervision. She has provided mental health, crisis, and career related services in a variety of settings, including a juvenile detention center, a crisis residential unit, a family and children community mental health agency, and a university counseling center.

Third Presenter's Institution

University of Memphis

Third Presenter’s Email Address

pdmurphy@memphis.edu

Third Presenter's Brief Biography

Dr. Patrick Murphy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research. He has multiple years of experience teaching on topics such as group counseling, foundations of counseling, and multicultural counseling. His clinical experience includes work with addiction, co-occurring disorders, and severe mental illness, working extensively with adults experiencing trauma, PTSD and severe cognitive disorders. His research interests include a wide range of topics with a focus on intersectionality and counselor training and supervision, and counseling and crisis intervention with veterans/military personal.

Location

Session Two

Strand #1

Hands: Safety & Violence Prevention

Strand #2

Health: Mental & Physical Health

Relevance

This proposal connects to the hands and health strands as it aims to address the various factors that motivate substance use among teens, particularly youth offenders, or justice-involved adolescents. The hands aspect speaks to the increasing number of teens witnessing and participating in violent interactions in their homes, schools, or communities, and the need to increase safety and violence prevention. The health component includes the role of educators and counselors in helping teens heal from their trauma and develop healthy interpersonal relationships within their schools, families, and communities.

Brief Program Description

Research shows a significant link between trauma and addiction for people with substance use issues and a link between addiction and interpersonal relationships. Both the ACEs study and Bowlby’s attachment theory speak to the impact of trauma during childhood. Essentially, disintegrated homes and broken relationships can lead to substance use disorders, and the impact can follow teens into adulthood.

Summary

Exposure to childhood trauma increases the risk of addiction (Karl, 2021). In fact, the higher the ACEs score, the larger the negative health impact. Although ACEs does not directly include race-based trauma, the results of it are similar and just as harmful, often leading to negative physical, mental, and emotional health outcomes.

Race-based trauma is defined as a racially motivated action that causes physical or emotional harm or threatens an individual’s life and integrity (Bryant-Davis, 2007). Synonymous with societal trauma, intergenerational trauma, racial discrimination, emotional abusiveness, and racism, race-based trauma is an ongoing source of stress (Bryant-Davis, 2007). Kang and Burton (2014) suggest that increased exposure to racial discrimination leads to an increase in delinquent behavior. Therefore, it may not be surprising to learn that a large portion of youth offenders are African American, and approximately 90% of youth in residential facilities report experiencing at least one trauma (Whitten, 2013).

Race-based trauma is an increasingly controversial and significant discussion. However, a paucity of research exists on the topic of race-based trauma, especially exploring its occurrence among youth offenders. Counselors must gain training and knowledge to service diverse populations (ACA, 2014). For counselors to effectively help youth offenders who experience substance use disorders, it is imperative to examine additional research and scholarly literature that discusses trauma and its impact on youth.

Evidence

The research is grounded in peer-reviewed scholarly literature found in various journals like Counseling Today and the Florida State University libraries. The research includes foundational articles significant to the topic and newer articles that have expanded on the topic, offering increased knowledge and evidence-based intervention. The major terms (i.e., race-based trauma, substance use, ACEs) mentioned surfaced many years ago and continue to be utilized and refined as we learn more through research development and the sharing of knowledge. The references are below.

American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Bryant-Davis, T. (2007). Healing requires recognition: The case for race-based traumatic stress. The Counseling Psychiatrist, 35(1), 135-143.

Cole, J., Sprang, G., & Silman, M. (2019). Interpersonal trauma exposure, trauma symptoms, and severity of substance uses disorder among youth entering outpatient substance abuse treatment. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 12, 341-349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-018-0239-3

Kang, H. & Burton, D. (2014). Effects of racial discrimination, childhood trauma, and trauma symptoms on juvenile delinquency in African American incarcerated youth. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 23(10), 1109-1125. doi: 10.1080/10926771.2014.968272

Karl, S. (2021, April 7). The intersection of childhood trauma and addiction. Counseling Today. https://ct.counseling.org/2021/04/the-intersection-of-childhood-trauma-and-addiction/

Malvaso, C., Cale, J., Whitten, T., Day, A., Singh, S., Hackett, L., Delfabbro, P., & Ross, S. (2022). Associations between adverse childhood experiences ad trauma among young people who offend: A systematic literature review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(5), 1677-1694. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211013132

Learning Objective 1

Professional counselors, counselor educators, and counselors-in-training will discuss the current literature on trauma and addiction among youth offenders.

Learning Objective 2

Professional counselors, counselor educators, and counselors-in-training will develop an increased awareness of the prevalence of race-based trauma and its effect on youth offenders.

Learning Objective 3

Professional counselors, counselor educators, and counselors-in-training will identify evidence-based practices and interventions that help youth offenders heal and develop more meaningful relationships.

Keyword Descriptors

Trauma, race-based trauma, substance use, teens, youth offenders, counseling, intervention, best practices

Presentation Year

2024

Start Date

3-4-2024 11:30 AM

End Date

3-4-2024 1:00 PM

Recommended Citation

May, Viola S.; Fucillo, Sarah; and Murphy, Patrick, "The Missing Link: Substance Use Intervention For Youth Offenders" (2024). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 12.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2024/2024/12