Project SUCCESS (Schools Using Coordinated Community Efforts to Strengthen Students) is a school based Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Model program that is designed to prevent and reduce substance use among adolescents ages 12 to 18 years of age by placing highly trained professionals in schools to provide a full range of substance use prevention and early intervention services. The program was originally developed for students attending alternative high schools but in recent years Project SUCCESS has been used for a broader range of high risk students.

 

Project SUCCESS counselors implement selective and indicated program components along with school-wide universal prevention strategies but is unique in that it is not curriculum-based. All program activities are conducted by one Project SUCCESS Counselor who works primarily in small group and individual sessions. The Project SUCCESS counselors also work with students, school administrators, parents and community groups on environmental approaches to change attitudes and behaviors, as well as policies and procedures which will help to prevent and reduce adolescent substance use.

 

Project SUCCESS includes four components: The Prevention Education Series (PES), an eight session alcohol, tobacco, and other drug program conducted by Project SUCCESS counselors (local staff trained by the developers) who help students identify and resist pressures to use substances, correct misperceptions about the prevalence and acceptability of substance use, and understand the consequences of substance use. Schoolwide activities and promotional materials to increase the perception of the harm of substance use, positively change social norms about substance use, and increase enforcement of and compliance with school policies and community laws. A parent program that includes information meetings, parent education and the formation of a parent advisory committee. Individual and group counseling, in which the Project SUCCESS counselors conduct time-limited counseling for youth following their participation in the PES and an individual assessment. Students and parents who require more intensive counseling, treatment, or other services are referred to appropriate agencies or practitioners in the community.