The Ecological and Developmental Role of Recovery High Schools

Abstract

Recovery high schools are secondary schools designed specifically for students recovering from substance use or co-occurring disorders. Studies have affirmed the chronic nature of substance use disorders and the developmental value of social supports for adolescents. As part of understanding human growth and development, training programs for human service professionals (teachers, counselors, and social workers) emphasize comprehension and application of developmental theories. Recovery high schools provide the opportunity to apply developmental constructs to support adolescent students as they learn to live a life of recovery in the midst of chronic challenges. Earlier articles in this issue have offered descriptive, evaluative, and applied analyses of recovery high schools. This article adds to the practical understanding of recovery high schools by providing a synthesis of how developmental concepts form a foundation for recovery high school environments and cultures. Four theories—Bronfenbrenner's social ecology, Bandura's social cognitive learning theory, Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, and Kegan's constructive developmentalism—are applied to a case showing how recovery schools can and do utilize concepts from these theories.

Notes

Vygotsky's writing emphasizes concepts and practices without one overarching title. For that reason, a number of different names are used in the literature for his theory. A sampling includes cultural-historical, cognitive mediation, social interactionism, and sociocultural development.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrew J. Finch

Andrew J. Finch, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of the Practice of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Finch is a cofounder of the Association of Recovery Schools. Among his published works are Starting a Recovery School and Approaches to Substance Abuse and Addiction in Educational Communities: A Guide to Practices That Support Recovery in Adolescents and Young Adults, on which he was a coeditor. For 9 years, Dr. Finch worked for Community High School in Nashville, one of the early schools for teens recovering from alcohol and other drug addictions and a school he helped design.

Gina Frieden

Gina Frieden is Assistant Professor of Human and Organizational Development at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University and Director of the Human Development Counseling program. Gina Frieden received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Memphis in 1988. Her research interests are in the areas of adult development, loss and life transitions, and counselor training.