Indicated Prevention: Bridging the Gap, One Person at a Time

Abstract

In 2007, Riverside County, California, after identifying a gap between the substance abuse prevention and treatment services it offered to individuals, developed the Individual Prevention Services (IPS) program to fill that gap. Over the past two years, the IPS program has provided individualized prevention services on a one-on-one basis at all seven of the county's substance abuse treatment clinics. The IPS program is provided to those individuals who are at highest risk for developing substance abuse related problems, i.e., those individuals who have some history of substance use/misuse, but have not yet reached a point where treatment is indicated. This unique “one person at a time” prevention service is provided at no cost to individuals in all age groups (from age 12 to senior citizens) and is based, in part, on a local student assistance model that offers over 20 years of proven results.

Keywords:

• brief Intervention
• Brief Risk Reduction Interview and Intervention Model (BRRIIM)
• Continuum of Services System Re-Engineering (COSSR) Task Force
• indicated prevention
• prevention service agreement