Treatment strategies with substance-abusing adolescents

Strategizing treatment interventions with chemically dependent teenagers and their families is challenging and frustrating. Professionals are encouraged to examine the following frames of reference using a biopsychosocial perspective: diagnosis, individual development, knowledge about substance abuse and addiction, stages of recovery and relapse prevention, family dynamics, systems of support in the community, financial limitations, and administrative organization. This article uses a case history to highlight this strategic process.