First Contact

First Contact: A Brief Treatment for Young Substance Users helps you integrate the treatment of drug use with co-existing mental health problems. Since so many youth present with concurrent mental health and substance use problems, we have provided you with a brief, first step intervention that focuses on drug use in the context of other mental health problems. It incorporates motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioural and harm reduction approaches discussed in the earlier chapters of the resource. It can be implemented in the various settings where youth present-addiction services, mental health services, social services and education programs-as a first step to more extensive treatment or as a stand-alone intervention with youth who do not need or want more treatment. It can also be offered concurrently with treatment for mental health or family issues. First Contact is suitable for youth aged 14 to 25 and is mostly used with groups of youth, but may be used in sessions with individuals.