The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) is a developmentally-appropriate behavioral treatment for youth and young adults 12 to 24 years old with substance use disorders developed by Chestnut Health Systems.
A-CRA is endorsed by the Office of Youth and Young Adult Services(OYYAS), Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a preferred outpatient model for adolescent substance use treatment. A-CRA is also the recommended treatment intervention for youth with substance using behaviors who do not meet full diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder.
This training is intended to expose staff who engage with youth and young adults around their substance use in their respective work/roles (Medical providers, Case managers, Recovery Coaches, Therapeutic mentors, Therapeutic Training & Support, Family Partners) to some of the core procedures of A-CRA such as Functional Analysis of Substance Using Behavior to engage and gather information in a non-judgmental manner; Caregiver Skills to talk to parents, problem-solving skills to cope with day-to-day stressors, communication skills, and Relapse Prevention Skills to works towards goal of improving life satisfaction and eliminating alcohol and substance use problems.
This modified A-CRA Lite Training is intended for any professional interfacing with a youth to increase their capacity to identify and address substance use concerns in youth and young adults (12-24 years of age). Participants will have an opportunity to role play A-CRA skills in small groups.
