Adolescent Relapse Prevention Planner

Jennifer Bruha, Ph.D. was born and raised in the San Francisco bay area, the eldest of two daughters to Donald and Janis Bruha. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, followed by a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and a Certificate in Chemical Dependency Counseling from Notre Dame de Namur University. She earned a second master’s degree and Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.

Jennifer has been working as a clinician since 2003 at Our Common Ground, an adolescent residential treatment facility in Redwood City, California, and at the East Palo Alto adult treatment facility since 2009. She designed the Drug Education and Relapse Prevention curriculum at both facilities and continues to facilitate both groups. Her clinical and research interests include addiction, eating disorders, and trauma.

In 2010, she was awarded the Alice Kahn Ladas Research Award for her research in mindfulness and eating disorders from the United States Association of Body Psychotherapy. The Adolescent Relapse Prevention Planner is her first book.

From the Introduction to The Adolescent Relapse Prevention Planner:
Substance abuse continues to be a problem, particularly among adolescents, who are exposed at younger ages to new and stronger drugs with higher addictive potential and greater availability. Prescription drug use has exploded as prescriptions are more widely marketed to the public and are made available over the internet. Illicit drug use, likewise, is on the rise. Marijuana and other “natural” drugs, whether legal or illegal, are still popular, as they are relatively cheap, compared to other drugs, and are more socially acceptable. Additionally, over-the-counter drugs such as cough and cold medications and cough syrups have become an inexpensive and easy way to get high. Consequently, this leaves more adolescents feeling unmotivated and unwilling to attend school, complete homework, and fulfill responsibilities, opening the gateway for drug experimentation, behavioral problems, and dropping out of school.

In this high stress world, where temptations are everywhere, the economy is in crisis, crime and violence are on the rise, and families are increasingly defined by dysfunction and/or single-parent households, adolescents search for that quick fix to escape from reality. Unfortunately, for many, that desire for a quick fix leads to substance abuse and even addiction, which impacts puberty and adolescent development physically, psychologically, and emotionally. This presents unique challenges in treatment and recovery. Adolescent treatment programs and specialists are grossly underfunded and unavailable, leading to the importance of relapse prevention planning that takes into consideration the special circumstances of adolescence.

This workbook addresses these challenges adolescents face in their recovery, regardless of where they fit in the stages of change process. This workbook is intended for use by professionals treating adolescents with substance abuse problems, by treatment programs, and even by adolescents themselves. This may be used as a curriculum or guide for groups that focus on problem identification, drug education, and relapse prevention, or as an adjunct to day treatment, outpatient, inpatient, and residential programs.