Guide - Young Adults

ATTACHMENT F

INTERVENTION RESOURCES FOCUS GROUP FACILITATOR GUIDE

Young Adults

SAMHSA aims to develop a culturally appropriate resource that will address how parents of young adults can approach this situation and intervene before the drug usage progresses into an addiction. At the same time, recognizing:

• There is a clear lack of resources for parents on the topics of substance abuse intervention and overdose bereavement.

• Most opioid-specific social media posts centered on the scope of opioid misuse, but did not offer parents advice on addressing the issue with their children.

• Social media posts targeted at parents across all topics (opioids, marijuana, alcohol and substance abuse) were more focused on prevention rather than intervention.

• Overall, there appears to be a lack of social media posts geared toward Spanish-speaking populations.

INTRODUCTION [10 minutes]

• Good evening. Welcome! Thank you for taking time from your day to come here to talk with us.

• My name is _______________, and I will facilitate our conversation today.

• We value your opinions, your ideas, suggestions, and concerns about parenting with today’s challenges related to substance abuse. Your participation in this discussion is of great importance to us, because based on your suggestions we will be able to help other parents navigate the challenges they face parenting their children with substance abuse challenges.

• YOUNG ADULT GROUP: Everyone here was invited because you are currently in treatment for substance abuse.

DISCLOSURES AND GUIDELINES

The session will last approximately 90 minutes – 2 hours.

You have signed a Release and Consent Form telling you that we are digitally recording this session so that the information can be used to accurately reconstruct our conversation and to assure that we capture all of your ideas

Other members of our team will be observing through that one-way mirror.

Your privacy is important to us. Your names will not be used in reports and nothing you say will be attributed to you. A report will be written and only your opinions, suggestions, feelings, or experiences will be included. We are most interested in what was said, not who said it.

We want to hear about your opinions, comments, and experiences. On this very personal topic there are no good or bad answers, only comments. So please feel free to add a different opinion to what someone else said; we want to have several points of view.

Please speak one at a time, and loud enough to be heard.

I will move quickly, sometimes, from one topic to another to make sure that we touch on the topics we need to cover.

We cannot have the distraction of cell phones during the discussion.

Any questions?

RESPONDENT INTRODUCTIONS [10 minutes]

What you may not know is that each of you is in treatment for substance abuse.

So, I am asking each of you to share:

• First name only

• The members of your household by relationship to you

• The substance to which you are addicted

• One topic related to substance abuse you expect we will address in the conversation we have today.

BACKGROUND – LIFE CONCERNS [15 minutes]

EASEL EXERCISE: Let’s step back for a moment and talk about life concerns that have been most challenging for you. From the concerns mentioned, which was the most challenging for you? What makes you say that?

How did you address that issue? Did you know what to do? What did you do first? How did you know to do that?

How did you feel as you looked for information or resources? Who/what did you rely on to handle your life concerns? What types of information did you seek most often initially? Did that change as you became more informed?

What has been your most reliable source of information? What is the main reason you say that?

What has your search for information/resources been like? [Probe for difficulties, roadblocks, open doors, etc.]

Who believes searching for resources and information was easy? What makes you say that? Who believes searching for resources and information was difficult? What makes you say that? Feel free to respond to both sides of this question.

WRITTEN SENTENCE COMPLETION: During my search for help, information or resources, I wish I had had

ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS OF FINDING TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE [35 minutes]

Among the life concerns we discussed, you did/did not mention substance abuse. How is substance abuse different from other life concerns?

How do those differences affect how you face this concern? How do you recognize it as a concern?

[Probe: first thing you do, getting help, seeking information]

How does the need for information change, if at all, once you realize you have a substance abuse problem? (Compare a listed concern to substance abuse.)

What did you think about the amount of information available to you? Was it enough or not enough?

If enough: What makes you say enough? What topics of information did you find most useful?

What, if anything is missing?

If not enough: What was missing? How would that have helped?

Let’s focus specifically on interventions. That is, the resources and information that helped you to get into treatment.

EASEL EXERCISE: (MIND MAP - “INTERVENTION”) What do you say to yourself when you hear the term “Intervention?” Select several relevant terms to ladder.

What makes that feeling/idea/thing important to you?

What’s good about this feeling/idea/thing?

Is there anything bad about this feeling/idea/thing?

How is/would your life be better because of it?

What makes this topic valuable to you? What makes it valuable to your family/friends?

How should an intervention occur? How did it occur for you? Who initiated it?

Would you have preferred it to be done differently? How does what happened for you compare to the ideas that the group shared on “intervention?”

Now that you are in treatment, do you seek information? How would you rate the information available to you to know more about what is going on in your life right now? [Probe to understand each.]

Useful – not useful

Relatable – not relatable

Believable – Not believable

Easy to find – Difficult to find

Tailored to your needs – not tailored to your needs

Easy to understand – difficult to understand

Consistent with your values – not consistent with your values

What support did you have when you (or a parent) were trying to find treatment options?

[Probe: Did you feel supported? What made you feel that way? What would have made it better/even better?]

What support do you wish you had when you were trying to find treatment options?

In hindsight, what things are clearer to you about your need for resources and information?

How did you make decisions about treatment? (Your decision or a shared decision with a parent? Court ordered?) What information did you rely on? How/where did you find it?

Who do/did you rely on for information while you are in treatment?

Some statistics point out that substance abuse is at epidemic levels.

In 2015, over 27 million people in the United States reported current use of illicit drugs or misuse of prescription drugs, and over 66 million people (nearly a quarter of the adult and adolescent population) reported binge drinking in the past month. Alcohol and drug misuse and related disorders are major public health challenges that are taking an enormous toll on individuals, families, and society.

What is your reaction to that? How does being in treatment affect how that statement makes you feel?

[Probe: do you think there is any stigma associated with being in treatment for substance abuse? Any discrimination?]

What were the biggest challenges to getting treatment for (refer to the substance that was shared earlier: alcohol, marijuana, prescription opioids, or other substances)?

EASEL EXERCISE: With all that you have learned through your experiences, what advice would you give someone your age who is using? Encourage respondents to map it out step by step.

What would you say to someone your age about when to do something about his or her substance abuse?

What would you suggest they do? What if anything would change the suggestion?

Map out the ideal treatment intervention: start, middle, recovery?

Who in the family is affected by substance abuse besides the user? How? Did you anticipate that? How did you handle that? How did you know to do that? What information was available? What resources were available?

SEEKING RESOURCES [15 minutes]

Tell me about the resources you are aware of to help you get treatment for substance abuse.

For this need, how did you prefer to get your information? What makes that work for you?

If: the Internet [Probe: what sites – information sites identified by search engines; social media, other] If social media, which sites are most preferred? How often would you visit a site? How much time would you spend on the site on this topic? Which information sites or social media sites would you avoid for this topic?

What makes those types of sites helpful for you? How is the information presented?

Formats:

Videos

Social media content

Online products

Blogs

Engagement and awareness efforts

How did you access the information? (Mobile device, computer, tablet?) Which is your preference/the one you have used most often)? What makes that your preferred device?

Support Groups – [Probe: how important are they to find? How do you choose?]

Have you accessed the SAMHSA website for information on treatment or related resources? If so, did you find it useful? What changes would you recommend?

REACTION TO INTERVENTION RESOURCE (15 minutes)

[Moderator points out to respondent that they are looking at a resource in the idea stage, and to focus their attention on the overall content of the material rather than the look of it.)

Tell me what is your reaction to this intervention resource?

Useful – not useful

Relatable – not relatable

Believable – Not believable

Tailored to your needs – not tailored to your needs

Easy to understand – difficult to understand

Consistent with your values – not consistent with your values

What, if anything would you change to make it more [choose word from list above mentioned by participant]?

How would you expect to gain access to or find out about this information? How would you want to get it or find out about it?

CLOSE (5 MINUTES)

What closing comments do you have about this conversation?

Thanks for coming tonight and providing your opinions.

Your comments have been very helpful and insightful.

Goodnight and have a great day tomorrow.

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