NCJ Number
110311
Date Published
1986
Length
66 pages
Annotation
These guidelines for planning and conducting support groups help Maine school administrators, teachers, and facilitators integrate such groups into the school's chemical dependency assistance program, which is designed to manage the problems associated with student chemical use, abuse, and dependency.
Abstract
The support group functions as a safe environment in which students can express feelings, gain a sense of belonging, and learn self-acceptance and social skills. Setting up a support group requires planning and consideration of the group's impact on the school. The school needs an alcohol and drug policy that specifies support group goals, a referral procedure for teachers, faculty and student awareness training, and training for support group facilitators. Once a support group begins to meet, administrators arrange for schedules and rooms, teachers manage the changes in schedules, and students attend these new groups. These guidelines detail procedures for performing these activities and discuss confidentiality, groups rules, supervision, evaluation, students as resources, and training resources. Appendixes contain a listing of staff functions in chemical dependency assistance programs and a flow chart of a chemical dependency assistance program as well as sample letters and forms. 48-items bibliography.