| About
Project SUCCESS 1. Is Project SUCCESS a research-based program? 
Yes. Project SUCCESS is a research-based program
that is based on over 25 years of research and practice by
the program developer Ellen Morehouse LCSW, CASAC, CPP. Ms.
Morehouse is the Executive Director of Student Assistance Services
Corp, a not-for-profit agency specializing in substance abuse
prevention located in Westchester County, New York. Ms Morehouse,
an innovator in the substance abuse prevention field is credited
with adapting the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) model to
secondary schools and residential facilities. EAPs have been
used successfully by industry to assist employees whose work
performance has been negatively affected by alcohol, other
drugs, or personal and family problems. Since 1979, Ms. Morehouse
has been implementing this approach in schools throughout Westchester
and Rockland Counties in New York with enormous success. Project
SUCCESS is modeled after the successful Westchester Student
Assistance Program. Project SUCCESS works by placing a highly trained, masters level professional in the school to provide a full range of substance abuse prevention and early intervention services. Project SUCCESS counselors use the following intervention strategies: information dissemination, normative and prevention education, problem identification and referral, community-based processes, environmental approaches, resistance and social competency skills such as communication, decision-making, stress and anger management, problem solving, and resisting peer pressure. 3. Has Project SUCCESS received any national awards? Yes. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMSHA) Center for Substance Abuse
Prevention (CSAP) has designated Project SUCCESS a Model Program.
In addition, Project SUCCESS received the 2003 Prevention and
Education Meritorious Award from the National Council on Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence
(NCADD)
for demonstrating effectiveness in enivation and alcohol and
other drug prevention and education. Unfortunately, as a non-profit agency we do not have the resources or funds to send out Project SUCCESS manuals for preview. However, we do provide information about the program, which will help in preparing a grant application. You can contact the agency at any time for additional information on implementing Project SUCCESS. Information describing Project SUCCESS and its effectiveness is also available from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and is being distributed through the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI). To expedite receiving your free materials call the SAMHSA Model program Toll-free Line 1-866-436-7377 for the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Ask for the Project SUCCESS Fact Sheet or you can visit the SAMHSA Model Program website online at www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov. Implementing
Project SUCCESS Yes. Project SUCCESS can be used in mainstream middle and high schools and in alternative schools. The Residential Student Assistance Program (RSAP) can be used in residential school settings. 2. Can Project SUCCESS be implemented in an afterschool program or youth center program? Project SUCCESS is a school-based program,
designed to be implemented in school, during the school day.
Some components such as the Prevention Education Series, the
assessment for services, counseling, referral, and large group
activities can be used, however, this is not replicating Project
SUCCESS. The original research was done conducting
the Prevention Education Series in small groups as a pull-out.
However, pushing the Prevention Education Series into the classroom
is an adaptation that we will be evaluating. The Prevention Education Series can be modified to reflect the diverse needs of student participants as long as all four topics are covered in 6-8 class periods, in the order listed, and the objectives of each topic are achieved. You may substitute activities and/or handouts as appropriate. The
Project SUCCESS Counselor Yes, but they must have regular consultation
with a community based substance abuse prevention agency. All
staff implementing Project SUCCESS must follow the federal
Department of Health and Human Services confidentiality regulations,
42 C.F.R. Part 2. The Project SUCCESS Supervisor is a core component
of the program to ensure compliance with program goals, objectives
and activities. The supervisor also meets regularly with school
administrators and community agencies and provides clinical
and programmatic supervision to ensure program effectiveness. It is strongly recommended that Project SUCCESS
Counselors have a Masters Degree in Social Work, Psychology,
or Counseling and a minimum of 2 years working with adolescents.
However, a Bachelor’s Degree with experience counseling
adolescents is the minimum educational requirement. No. The same person must implement all components
of the program. No. The role of the Project SUCCESS Counselor
is a full-time position in and of itself and should not be
combined with any other role. However, a full-time Project
SUCCESS counselor can be split between two buildings, or a
small building can have a part-time Project SUCCESS counselor
as long as the Project SUCCESS counselor has no other responsibility
in that building. Generally, one full-time Project SUCCESS
Counselor can provide services for an entire school. Project
SUCCESS Training The three-day training is strongly recommended
to assure program fidelity and effectiveness. Trainings are
offered several times a year in New York and in other locations
around the country. No. People who receive Project SUCCESS training
can ONLY provide training to other staff in their agency or
school. Yes, technical assistance is available via
phone or e-mail consultations, as well as, on-site visits.
Fees vary for these services. Yes. Implementation checklists for both the
Prevention Education Series and the counseling groups are available
from Student Assistance Services Corp. In addition, a SUCCESS
Data Collection Log is also available which can be utilized
to document program implementation and program dosage. In the original evaluation of Project SUCCESS, participating adolescents showed a significant 37% overall decrease in substance use as compared to adolescents in the comparison group who did not participate in Project SUCCESS. Of the adolescents using substances, 23% of those in the Project SUCCESS program quit using whereas as only 5% in the comparison condition quit. For those adolescents who did not quit using substances there was still a significant reduction in mean substance use ranging between 17% and 26.6% among Project SUCCESS participants. Additionally, Project SUCCESS participants showed decreased drug problem behaviors, and had fewer friends who used alcohol and other drugs than those participants in the comparison groups. 3. Have there been any independent evaluations of the Project SUCCESS program? Yes. Approximately 20 school sites across
the country are implementing and currently evaluating Project
SUCCESS. There is not one specific outcome instrument
recommended for evaluating Project SUCCESS. Rather, a number
of established, reliable and valid survey instruments may be
utilized such as the American Drug and Alcohol Survey, American
Drug and Alcohol Survey Core Measures Short From Survey, Communities
that Care Survey, Monitoring the Future, as well as many of
the statewide substance use surveys already in place. The only
requirement is that the survey contains items that measure
alcohol and other drug usage, as well as the Project SUCCESS
targeted risk and protective factors. This includes perception
of harm, peer disapproval and usage, parental disapproval,
participation in peer/school non-drug activities and problem
behaviors associated with substance use. |
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