The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that young people are facing “devastating” mental health effects as a result of the challenges experienced by their generation. This comes on the heels of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Children’s Hospital Association's declaration of “a national emergency” in youth mental health. The U.S. Surgeon General has called on Funders and Foundations to scale up evidence-based interventions, and on Educators, to expand evidence-based approaches that promote healthy development. The PreVenture Program is ready for wide ranging dissemination and was recognized as an evidence-based program in the 2016 U.S. Surgeon General's report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health.

A conversation with Dr. Patricia Conrod regarding the fascinating work she is doing with adolescents and the developing brain, thinking about issues of drug use and how that impacts the brain.

Members of our research team, in collaboration with our national Youth Advisory Group, discuss the Canadian youth mental health crisis in The Conversation. Outlining gaps in services and highlighting the need to adapt evidence-based programs for distance delivery, they argue for urgent reform. The PreVenture Program is ready! We have worked diligently to adapt the program for online delivery and look forward to serving Canada's youth.

Through the Online PreVenture feasibility Study (OPfS), which is funded by Foundation CHUSJ, our researchers are currently collaborating with service providers and schools in Nunavik, Quebec and Thunder Bay, Ontario. We will be undertaking Indigenous cultural adaptations of the program and delivering training to school staff and clinicians to support implementation and evaluation of the online adapted PreVenture program to Indigenous youth in these communities.

Obtenez votre certification pour offrir le programme PréVenture. Sur une période de 3 jours, immergez-vous dans l'apprentissage d’une intervention fondée sur des données probantes et de l'approche théorique derrière le développement du programme. Laissez un formateur expert vous guider à travers une expérience pratique du déroulement du programme PréVenture. Inscrivez-vous!

Dr. Patricia Conrod was a recent guest on the Hopestream Podcast. Listen to this fascinating conversation in which Dr. Conrod, discusses the program, its origins and more.

Become a PreVenture Facilitator and bring this evidence-based prevention program to the youth in your community. Over 3-days learn how to guide youth through workshops that will equip them with adaptive coping skills to help them make better choices for themselves. Registration now open.

COVID-19 has ushered in a new era in online delivery of educational and health services. In keeping with this, we have adapted the PreVenture Program for online delivery. The useful coping-skills youth learn during the program have become even more valuable in these unprecedented times. For more information click to download brochure

The PreVenture Program’s Facilitator Training has been approved by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association for 16 continuing education credits. In May 2020, we will be hosting our second Online Facilitator Training. Details coming soon.

The PreVenture Program continues to prove to be a valuable resource in improving the adolescent experience.

We recently received word that New York State's Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) has added the PreVenture Program to the State Registry for Evidence-Based Prevention Programs. We are honoured to be recognized in this manner.

An intervention program aimed at reducing drug and alcohol use may be useful for reducing bullying and associated outcomes in adolescents with certain personality traits, according to study results published in Journal of theAmerican Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.

Prevention is an important piece of the addiction crisis puzzle. A new substance abuse prevention program in Indiana aims to address the risk of addiction through personality assessment. The goal is to give young people the tools to strengthen their mental wellness and resilience.

A Vernon child and adolescent psychiatrist is encouraging Interior Health to help expand delivery of a substance misuse prevention program to teenagers across the health region.