Note: this is a past research project that is now complete.
Background
The BEST PLUS program is an eight-week program for parents and
families affected by youth drug and alcohol use. The program is a
flexible and evidence based intervention that is able to promote
family re-unification and cohesion.
Evaluations over the past three years support the BEST Plus
program as an effective forum for parents and siblings of youth
drug users. The program assists families to redevelop positive
family environments that encourage responsible behaviour and
recovery from drug and alcohol abuse.
The BEST Plus program was recently modified to help families
cope with other high risk and disruptive behaviours in addition to
drug and alcohol abuse. The program can now offer the benefits of
its interventions to families who are struggling to manage a wider
range of adolescent behavioural problems,
The BEST Plus program is currently undergoing further evaluation
to test its effectiveness as a multi-family model that can be used
in a community setting to improve family relationships. As part of
this trial the intervention is being piloted across various
services in Victoria and with a number of services in different
Australian states who have shown interest in evaluating the
program. One longer-term goal of this project is to complete a
controlled evaluation trial.
Publications
Toumbourou, J. W., & Bamberg, J. H. (2008). Family recovery from youth substance use related problems: a pilot study of the BEST Plus program. Substance use & misuse, 43(12-13), 1829–1843. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826080802297385
Bamberg, J. H., Toumbourou, J. W., & Marks, R. (2008). Including the siblings of youth substance abusers in a parent-focused intervention: a pilot test of the Best Plus program. Journal of psychoactive drugs, 40(3), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2008.10400643
Contact
John Toumbourou
john.toumbourou@deakin.edu.au