Prevention is Science-Based

In the early years of prevention, preventionists used their intuition to try and improve health and safety in communities. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Today, we rely on science and the Strategic Prevention Framework to ensure that our efforts are as effective as possible and reach maximum impact in our communities.

All Prevention Specialists at Southwest Behavioral Health Center are Certified through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and within three years of hire must obtain their license as a Prevention Specialist through the State of Utah licensing board. 

Programs, activities and strategies are divided into two Categories: Individual and Environmental:

Individual Strategies

Interventions that are designed to help individuals develop the intentions and skills to act in a healthy manner. 

Individual prevention approaches focus on helping people develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to change their behavior. Often, these individual-level strategies include classes on healthy behaviors, like our Personal Empowerment Program and our Power Programs. These are skill-based courses that are taught in elementary, middle and high schools in Southern Utah, and focus on interaction among participants and emphasizing health norms, and teaching and developing life and social skills, and resiliency.

Some of our Individual Strategies here at Southwest include:

• Power Programs (for school grades 1-12)
• Personal Empowerment Programs (for school grades 6-10)
• Parenting Wisely (Parent Education Classes for parents with children of all ages)
• Drug Educational Courses (for first time offenders and DUI
• Prevention Dimensions (Curriculum for healthy life skills for grades K-12)
• Life Skills (Resiliency and Life Skills curriculum for grades 6-8)

Environmental Strategies

Interventions that focus on creating environments that support healthy behavior.

Environmental strategies change or influence the conditions within a community, including physical, social, institutional and cultural factors that may lead to problem behaviors. For example, reducing access to substances, changing policies, laws and practices that contribute to problem behaviors, and changing social norms are all ways that we can influence or change the environment to promote healthy behaviors and prevent problems.  The primary source for these strategies in Southern Utah come from our community Coalitions, who focus on identifying problems and then developing and implementing strategies to address them.

Some of our Environmental Strategies here at Southwest include:

• Community Adult and Youth Coalitions
• Prescription Drug Take-Back Events
• Community Health Fairs & Educational Seminars
• Media and Awareness Campaigns
• Enforcement of Alcohol Laws & Regulations
• ParentsEmpowered Campaign

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Target Audiences for Primary Prevention Services​

Primary prevention is directed at individuals and families who do not require treatment for substance abuse and/or mental illness. It's purpose is to prevent problem behaviors, (chronic disease and illnesses, including substance abuse and mental illness, which take a toll on health, education, workplace productivity, community engagement, and overall quality of life), from ever occurring, and can be provided in a variety of settings for both the general population and targeted sub-groups who may be at higher risk for substance abuse and/or mental illness. There are three main target populations we focus on at Southwest: Universal (direct and indirect), Selective, and Indicated.

Universal

Universal prevention strategies address an entire population (e.g. city, school, grade, neighborhood, business, etc.) with programs, policies and practices aimed at preventing problem behaviors. The mission of universal prevention is to deter the onset of substance abuse or mental illness by providing all individuals the information and skills necessary to prevent the problem. 

• Universal Direct--Interventions directly serve an identifiable group of participants but who have not been identified on the basis of individual risk (e.g., school curriculum, after school program, parenting class). This also could include interventions involving interpersonal and ongoing/repeated contact (e.g., coalitions).
• ​Universal Indirect--Interventions support population-based programs and environmental strategies (e.g., establishing drug policies, modifying advertising practices). This also could include interventions involving programs and policies implemented by coalitions.

Selective

Selective prevention strategies focus on groups that are considered to be at greater levels of risk for substance abuse by due of their membership in a particular population segment (e.g. children of substance abusers or students who are failing academically). Risk groups may be identified on the basis of biological, psychological, social, or environmental risk factors known to be associated with substance abuse and focused sub-groups may be defined by age, gender, family history, place of residence, etc. An individual’s personal risk is not specifically assessed or identified and selection is based solely on membership in the higher risk subgroup. The selective prevention strategy is presented to the entire subgroup because the subgroup as a whole is at higher risk for substance abuse than the general population.

Indicated

Indicated prevention strategies are designed to prevent the onset of substance abuse in individuals who do not meet the diagnostic criteria for addiction or mental illness, but who are showing early danger signs, such as failing grades, suicidal ideation, or introductory consumption of alcohol or other drugs. The mission of indicated prevention is to identify individuals who are exhibiting early signs of substance abuse and other problem behaviors and to focus on them with specific programs.

Our True Philosophy of Prevention, in the words of John Denver: