School Programs

Elementary Program Overview:

The Botvin LifeSkills Training Elementary School program is a comprehensive, dynamic, and developmentally appropriate substance abuse and violence prevention program designed for upper elementary school students. This highly effective curriculum has been proven to help increase self-esteem, develop healthy attitudes, and improve their knowledge of essential life skills – all of which promote healthy and positive personal development and mental health. LifeSkills Training is comprehensive, dynamic, and developmentally designed to promote mental health and positive youth development.

(Source: https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/botvin-lifeskills-training-elementary-school-program/  (c) 2021)

Program Learning Objectives:

Personal Self-Management Skills
Students develop skills that enhance self-esteem, develop problem-solving skills, help them reduce stress and anxiety, and manage anger.

General Social Skills
Students gain skills to meet personal challenges such as overcoming shyness, communicating clearly, building relationships, and avoiding violence.

Drug Resistance Skills
Students build effective defenses against pressures to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

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Middle School Program Overview:
The Botvin LifeSkills Training Middle School program is a groundbreaking substance abuse and violence prevention program based on more than 35 years of rigorous scientific research. Proven to be the most effective evidence-based program used in schools today, LifeSkills Training is comprehensive, dynamic, and developmentally designed to promote mental health and positive youth development. In addition to helping kids resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, the LifeSkills Training Middle School program also effectively supports the reduction of violence and other high-risk behaviors.

Middle School Program Objectives:
Personal Self-Management Skills – Students develop skills that help them enhance self-esteem, develop problem-solving abilities, reduce stress and anxiety, and manage anger for better mental health.
General Social Skills – Students gain skills to meet personal challenges such as overcoming shyness, communicating clearly, building relationships, and avoiding violence.
Drug Resistance Skills – Students build effective defenses against pressures to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
(Source: https://www.lifeskillstraining.com/botvin-lifeskills-training-middle-school-program/      (C) 2021)

Program Introduction:
This is an after-school mentoring program designed for middle school aged girls. The middle school students are paired with high school students, so that they bond to share personal information while also relaxing and completing arts and crafts. Our goal in Club and Camp Ophelia is to “turn Ophelia upside-down.” Girls learn the power of connection with other girls, and see the value of being true to themselves.

There are several key pillars to the content within Club & Camp Ophelia.

First we EDUCATE about relational aggression using stories that illustrate female bullying. Girls then share bullying situations from their own lives, and create role plays that act out the hurtful behaviors they have seen or been involved in.
The next step is having girls RELATE the information on relational aggression to their own lives. We always stress that in any situation there are choices.
In the final part of the program, girls are asked to INTEGRATE what they have learned into their lives, and to think about how they could help another girl who is a victim or a bully.
 

Role of the parent(s):
"What can I do as an adult to help my daughter?"
•     Recognize how serious this issue is for girls

•     Think about what you expose girls to, and lobby for more positive role models

•     Support books, movies, magazines, and television shows that offer constructive rather than destructive stories about girls

•     Help girls “plan ahead” for relational aggression. Talk about what she will do when her friends start to gossip, or she sees someone else being targeted

•     Have a toolkit of strategies for coping, not just one. Here’s an idea from Club Ophelia™ girls: Walk-Talk-Tell (walk away, talk things out, tell someone who can help)

•     Reward positive relationship skills when you see them: creative problem solving, leadership, and team building are all behaviors you want her to use

•     Discuss values and beliefs, using a hierarchy of “What would you do if your friends wanted you to?” (Would you…skip school…spread a rumor…drink…etc.)

•     Involve her in volunteer work where she can connect with diverse groups of people and feel appreciated

•     Role model tolerance and respect so she will too

•     You need to know what happens online—consider it a city you allow a girl to visit and find out where she’s been and what she did there

•     At all costs, keep girls connected—stigmatizing girls as bullies or victims decreases their chance of forming meaningful relationships with others

•     Never underestimate the power of relationships with adults who care

(Source: https://www.cheryldellasega.com/club-ophelia/what-adults-can-do.html     (c) 2021)

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Program Overview:
Project TND targets high school youth, ages 14 to 19. The program has proved successful when implemented in regular as well as alternative (continuation) high schools, with students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

Stop or reduce the use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs (i.e., cocaine, hallucinogens, depressants, amphetamines, etc).
Stop or reduce weapon carrying and victimization.
State accurate information about the consequences of drug use and abuse, including environmental, social, physiological, and emotional consequences.
Demonstrate behavioral and cognitive coping skills.
Make a personal commitment regarding drug use.
Awards and Recognition
Project TND has been identified as a model, exemplary, or evidence-based program by the following organizations:

U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP/DSG)
U.S. Department of Defense
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Health Canada
California Department of Education
Getting Results Program
Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development
University of Colorado, Boulder
Program Implementation
Project TND was designed for implementation in a classroom setting by a trained teacher or health education specialist. However, some community-based organizations have adapted it for use in a community setting where trained implementers are available.

The project includes 12 classroom-based sessions, each of which is 40 to 50 minutes in length. The program was designed for implementation over a four-week period (i.e., 3 sessions per week). However, if you need to spread it out, you could implement it twice a week over a six-week period on the condition that all lessons are taught.

Each of the program sessions is highly participatory and interactive. The sessions provide opportunities for interactions among students and between students and the teacher.

Three of the 12 sessions include the option to deliver program content using either entire class discussion, or the use of small groups.

The materials required for implementation include the Teacher’s Manual and one copy of the Student Workbook for each student, which either may be kept or used as a reference book. There is a video for use in Session 12, which is optional. The classroom should be equipped with a chalkboard. Use of an overhead projector or computer with PowerPoint software is optional.

We know that Project TND works when it is implemented with fidelity. In order for the program to be effective, all of the sessions need to be taught. In addition, the sessions need to be taught as written in the Teacher’s Manual, utilizing the content and instructional techniques that are specified.

(Source: https://tnd.usc.edu/     (c) 2021)

Program Overview:
The evidence-based Too Good for Drugs & Violence High School prepares students with the skills they need for academic, social, and life success. Interactive games and activities provide practical guidance on dating and relationships, building healthy friendships, and refusing negative peer influence.

Lessons foster analysis and discussion of the effects of ATOD use as well as prescription and OTC drug use and various nicotine delivery devices. Students also analyze the impact of social media on decision making, reaching goals, and self identity.

Students learn how to navigate the challenges of social and academic pressures like making responsible decisions, managing stress and anger, reflecting on personal relationships, and resolving conflicts. The lessons use collaborative and experiential learning strategies to help students practice the skills proven to prevent violence and other risky behaviors.

Program Summary:
Too Good is a comprehensive family of evidence-based substance use and violence prevention interventions designed to mitigate the risk factors linked to problem behaviors and build protection within the child to resist problem behaviors.

Too Good develops a framework of social and emotional skills through the development of goal-setting, decision-making, emotion management, and effective communication skills in addition to peer-pressure refusal, pro-social bonding, and conflict resolution skills. 

Too Good builds the basis for a safe, supportive, and respectful learning environment.

Prevention Framework:
Effective prevention programs like Too Good promote the development of social emotional skills and educate youth about the effects and consequences of risky behaviors like engaging in substance use and violence.  Because the delivery of information alone rarely changes behaviors, and because other informative or emotional appeal strategies like didactic lectures, scare tactics, alarming statistics, or infrequent or single event presentations have proven to be ineffective in reducing or deterring risky behaviors in children and youth, Too Good takes a skills-based approach to prepare children and adolescents to make healthy responsible decisions.

Too Good programs are based in sound development and prevention theory.  They use a strengths-based approach that builds on strengths and wellness as part of a strategy to address risk aiming to build protective factors.  Too Good programs are interactive and hands-on providing opportunities for skill building and skill application.

Targeted Risk Factors and Protective Factors

Too Good targets the following risk factors and protective factors associated with substance use or antisocial behavior in children and adolescents:

Protective factors targeted for increase

Social and emotional competency skills
Personal efficacy
Exposure to school, community, and cultural norms that reject substance use or antisocial behaviors
Increased knowledge and perception of harm of the negative effects of substance use
Positive school connectedness
Risk factors targeted for decrease

Poor social and emotional skills
Favorable attitudes toward substance use or antisocial behavior
Norms favorable toward substance use or antisocial behavior
Peer rewards for substance use or antisocial behaviors
Early initiation of substance use
Physical violence
Bullying behavior
 
Expected Outcomes:
In random control trials Too Good programs have been shown to reduce substance use and antisocial behavior.

Too Good for Drugs Short-Term Outcomes

Students show improved social emotional competency and resistance skills.
More students perceive substance use as wrong, risky, or harmful; fewer see it as acceptable or cool.
More students report that substance use is not the norm and not a positive behavior.
More students report a greater sense of self-efficacy.
More students report feeling connected with the school/instructor.
Too Good for Drugs Long-Term Outcomes

Following program implementation, students report that as a result of exposure to TGFD, they intend to abstain from/reduce use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.  In schools that have the ability to measure these behaviors, TGFD leads to fewer incidents of ATOD use.

(Source: https://toogoodprograms.org/pages/exploration-phase?_pos=1&_sid=9fd097529&_ss=r     (c) 2021

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Program Overview:
On Applebee Pond is a researched based curriculum designed by the Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission, Inc. In designing and developing the “On Applebee Pond” prevention curriculum Mercer County used as its foundation the prevention research that supports the identifying of risk factors and the strengthening of resiliency factors in children. OAP curriculum is targeted for pre-school, elementary and junior / senior high school students. OAP is designed as a cross-age teaching mechanism as the secondary level student facilitates the program which aids the pre-school and elementary age child in developing positive life skills. This puppet based program affords the opportunity to engage the students in prevention education simultaneously.

OAP is a comprehensive program with accompanying activities that allow the students to visually and audibly capture the content, interactively apply the information and demonstrate or model the skill learned. Pre / post tests and alternative assessment measures are included for measurement this purposes.

The program contains units of material that cover the following skills and information:

SELF ESTEEM – Pre-K & Grade 1 Grades 2-3

Awareness of our feelings and the feelings of others
Name calling
Being a good buddy
Coping with uncomfortable feelings
Things we can change and things we cannot change
Stress
SOCIAL SKILLS – Pre-K & Grade 1 Grades 2-3

How to ask for what you want
Look the person in the eyes
Say the person’s name
Ask for what you want, remember to say “please”
If they say “yes”, remember to say “thank you”
Coping skills should someone tell you “no”
Exploring reasons someone might say “no”
Alternative activities should someone tell you “no”
DRUG & ALCOHOL – Pre-K & Grade 1 Grades 2-3

Identifying feelings
Events that produce good feelings and bad feelings
Peer pressure
Facts about drugs
Reinforcement of say no/go/and tell
Poison and medicine safety
Asking for help
Alcohol and other drug addiction as an illness
Addiction in the family
Importance of sharing your feelings
PEACEMAKING – Grades 2-3

Conflict resolution using “Cool Clues”
Using the word “I”, state the problem
State the problem as the other person sees it
Tell how you are responsible for the problem
Brainstorm and choose a better solution
Exploring feelings
Understanding feelings
The importance of being a peacemaker at home, school and play
Qualities of a peacemaker
TOBACCO TIPS – Grades 2-3

Health risks to using tobacco
Identifying feelings
Relating feelings to behaviors
Exploring advertising
Facts about tobacco use
 

(Source: http://www.mercercountybhc.org/applebee-pond-2/     (c) 2021)