Strategies to Occupations in Recovering Youth Enrolled in a Recovery High School

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to provide a program description and supporting data to demonstrate that occupation-based interventions can be implemented in a recovery high school. An occupational therapist was a co-facilitator in a 60-minute 11-week group with a convenience sample of 12^th grade students (n = 3) in a substance use recovery high school. This paper details the evidence-based interventions utilized during each phase of the group program including narrative interviewing, reflective listening, goal setting, identity exploration, and occupational engagement. Participant attendance and satisfaction are reported, and methods of program assessment are described. This program description can be used to inform future research evaluating program efficacy.

Keywords:

• Community health
• social identity
• personal identity
• occupation-based interventions

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participating adolescents, parents, and staff of the recovery high school.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflicts of interest were reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Deidentified data can be made available upon written request to the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by Overdose Lifeline, award #063918.

Notes on contributors

Victoria G. Wilburn

Victoria G. Wilburn, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.

Hannah B. Stoll

Hannah B. Stoll, Student, Department of Occupational Therapy Student, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.

Anthony Chase

Anthony Chase, Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.

Kelly Moring

Kelly Moring, Student, Department of Occupational Therapy Student, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.

Ashley Rohr

Ashley Rohr, Student, Department of Occupational Therapy Student, Indiana University Indianapolis, IN.