Summer 2005

Seven years...and counting

FOCUS ON CONSEQUENCES, ECCPASA's intensive educational intervention program for alcohol and drug use, will mark its seventh year of operation this summer. During that span, more than 700 clients have completed the program, which is designed for those who have come to the attention of school administrators, employee assistance professionals or law-enforcement officials for exhibiting behaviors which may be early signs of an alcohol or other drug use problem.

The one-day, intensive program provides basic but essential information about the risks entailed in the use of alcohol and other drugs. But this information is imparted in a participatory format that encourages open discussion - a valuable side to the program, since participants are asked to confront the particular circumstances which brought them to the class and to examine their own patterns of behavior which may have brought about those circumstances.

Progress is measured through pre- and post-tests which gauge the amount of factual information assimilated. Just as important, if not more so, are the oral disclosures and written essays that document clients' attitudes toward the use of mind and mood altering substances. In cases where patterns of use indicate something beyond experimentation or a solitary lapse of judgment, referral sources are confidentially advised that the client may benefit from a formal assessment at a licensed chemical dependency treatment facility.

Focus on Consequences evolved almost by accident. In the summer of 1998, James Frank, supervisor of ECCPASA's Student Assistance Prevention Counseling program, received a telephone call from an acquaintance who happened to be a lawyer. His clients were four young adults who had driven to Pennsylvania for a rock concert. There, they joined in tailgate partying, and were ticketed for underage drinking and violation of open container laws. The court required them to complete a local alcohol-awareness course or its equivalent.

Trying to avoid his clients' having to make several commutes out of state, the lawyer asked Frank if we could provide a similar service that would satisfy the Pennsylvania court. With staff member Bill MacVicar, Frank reviewed materials from a number of other agency curricula, assembled what seemed most appropriate, and invited the students to the agency one Saturday morning. Frank also insisted that the course be more than facts, and that the students actively participate rather than passively listen.

CONSEQUENTLY, he incorporated the motivational interviewing techniques used in the Student Assistance Prevention Counseling program, and they remain a hallmark of Focus on Consequences to this day.

The first session proved so successful that it became obvious that it was an experiment which bore repeating. Starting slowly, staff members were able to assemble small groups of clients, and the class was offered on an as-needed basis. Soon it became a regular part of the agency schedule, with classes scheduled every second Saturday; the classes grew in size as well (the maximum number of clients per class is 15, with two instructors).

The program's expansion owes much to Judge Mark G. Farrell of the Amherst Town Court, who found Focus on Consequences to be a useful alternative to more traditional judicial sanctions, along with the Drinking Driver Program, Impact Panel and community service. Other courts - such as The City of Tonawanda and Williamsville - have since followed his lead in referring clients who can benefit from the information and introspection available through the course.

More staff members began to train to be Focus instructors. Over the past seven years, facilitators have included Jan Burns, Mark Fenz, Lois Hellriegel, Linda Morgan, Robin Parks, Ann Rossetti and Sally Yageric. Consultant Dr. Warren L. Gleckel of Buffalo State College gave valuable assistance after observing the classes; his suggestions were incorporated to streamline the class.

In 2001, with the help of computer consultant Kevin Connelly, a software program was developed as an administrative aid and statistical tool which helps to insure Focus on Consequences' validity. In 2002, a formal curriculum was written to insure the program's consistency under different teams of instructors. Focus on Consequences continues to serve mainly young adults (although some clients have been senior citizens). Following in its success, a sister program, Focus on Consequences for Adolescents, will serve referrals from 14 to 21 years of age in a modified version of Focus on Consequences.