Help Teens Make Healthy Choices – NIDA Toolkit for Counselors and Educators

Educate, Empower, & Identify

What's in the Toolkit?

This science-based NIDA toolkit provides facts about drugs and their effects for teachers, counselors, nurses, parent- and youth-serving organizations, and anyone with opportunities to educate teens. The science-based information and resources are designed to empower teens with the information they need to make informed decisions about their health.

How To Use the Toolkit

These resources can be used independently or as a comprehensive package. Please feel free to customize them to suit your own drug education activities. If you have any questions or would like to share your experience using any of the following strategies, please contact us.

Uses:

Have teens read the information online, or print copies of specific drugs for distributing to teens for discussion and reflection.

Uses:

Make copies readily available and hand them out during drug use prevention classes, activities, or events.

Uses:

Encourage teens to review the facts, and hand them out during after-school club meetings and sporting practices, or during evening all-school events.

Uses:

Share the video during an assembly to start a conversation, or hand out print copies of the brochure to teens (order free copies).

Uses:

Share the video at an after-school club meeting or during a moving night/town hall style event.

Uses:

Hang the poster in hallways, offices, or anywhere teens gather, and print the flyer to distribute at events (order free copies).

Uses:

Work with your school-based and/or non-school based health professionals to have your adolescent take the screener. Follow up with resources to encourage behavior change and treatment referrals.

Uses:

Share with the parent/guardian the resources you provide the teen. Encourage them to visit NIDA for Parents.

Uses:

On your own or with the parent/guardian, look up treatment facilities in the teen’s area.