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In recent years, the science of developing and implementing interventions addressing school-related risk factors has produced many advances. This article addresses the promise of a cross-disciplinary practice approach known as motivational interviewing in school settings. Specifically, the supporting evidence as well as the process and principles of motivational interviewing are described for those unfamiliar with motivational interviewing nomenclature. A description of recent school-based innovations using the principles of motivational interviewing is then provided. Next, some potential applications for applying the motivational interviewing approach in educational settings to enhance the adoption, development, and implementation of effective school-based interventions designed to promote academic achievement and prevent or ameliorate challenging behavior are proposed. The article concludes with a discussion of future directions of motivational interviewing approaches within the context of school mental health.

Treatment outcome research has repeatedly demonstrated that involvement in twelve-step (TS) programs (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous) following treatment is associated with improved substance use outcomes. Treatment providers widely encourage TS program attendance during treatment and for aftercare; yet, evidence suggests that minimal and sporadic attendance or complete dropout is the more common occurrence. Providers would benefit from knowledge that would contribute to a greater understanding of factors that influence posttreatment TS program affiliation or dropout to guide treatment strategies. This article reviews the literature on TS affiliation, advances theory and a model to explain affiliation, and reports findings from a qualitative research study focused on understanding what people in TS facilitative treatment report as good (the pros) and not so good (the cons) about TS program involvement. Results suggest that unresolved ambivalence as well as socio-cultural barriers to support contribute to poor TS program utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alcohol screening and brief intervention literature suggest that many individuals become concerned about their drinking, seek help and are often aided with brief and simple interventions. The Internet provides an increasingly accessible, confidential, and low cost medium to deliver these services. A pilot Web site was developed to provide anonymous, confidential and fully automated screening and brief interventions. The test consisted of the AUDIT (screening), SOCRATES (readiness for treatment measures), and demographic and alcohol history questions. During the initial 172 day trial, over 10,000 individuals visited the Web site, of these, 2,813 took the screening and limited assessment test. Results generally suggest (1) that there is a sizable population seeking help on the Internet for drinking problems; (2) that AUDIT scores are surprisingly high; and (3) that most (94%) have not been professionally diagnosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of adults in jails and prisons has been increasing rapidly. Thus it is imperative that the psychosocial interventions that are planned, designed, and implemented within correctional settings draw, whenever possible, on a comprehensive understanding of evidence-based practices (EBP) and guidelines. The overall aim of this article is to provide practitioners, administrators, and researchers a thorough overview of "what works" in correctional programming, to increase and strengthen the use of EBP with criminal justice populations, and highlight areas for further inquiry. Three areas are addressed. First, a critical review of the strategies identified in the criminal justice literature as contributing to decreased criminal activity within the community (e.g., reduced recidivism) is presented. Following this, the intervention components or elements necessary for effective behavior change among criminal justice populations are discussed in detail. Finally, the literature over the past six years focusing on psychosocial interventions with adults in jail or prison settings is presented (n= 42 studies). The goals of the literature review are to (a) facilitate the replication of promising interventions and promoting the transfer of technology, (b) illuminate relevant and significant gaps in the literature pertaining to psychosocial interventions with incarcerated populations, and (c) provide direction for the development of EBP in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]