Training Employment Acquisition Skills for Adolescents with a Substance Abuse History

Obtaining paid employment is beneficial for youth during and following treatment for substance abuse. A training program for acquiring employment was implemented at a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility for nine residents who were near to completing the program. Data are presented from three residents with the most complete data sets. Skills training was provided for completing biographic information on job application forms, job searching by telephone and in person, and job interviews. The training process included behavioral procedures of providing instructions, modeling, role-play, and feedback. Improvements were demonstrated across all behaviors and participants after the training and generalized to real community materials and settings. All participants who remained in treatment also gained real work experience opportunities or regular paid employment. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.