Field Study of New York State Student Assistance and Prevention Counseling Programs

This article reports on a qualitative study of student assistance and prevention counseling in New York State that focuses on 3 components of these programs: program history and evolution, program operations, and program effects. Data collection methods used in the field study included focus groups, key informant interviews, and site observations; grounded theory and constant comparison were employed for analysis. The study found that all program sites had long-standing prevention programs that evolved over time. The research team was struck by the unique characteristics and approaches used by each of the 14 sites. Not a single program was a replica of another, but individual counseling was found to be a core component of each program. The study concluded that although prevention counseling is well suited to addressing the problem of adolescent substance abuse, there is little research on outcomes.