University of Oregon Professor to Discuss Families, Youth Interventions

Dr. Beth Stormshak
Dr. Beth Stormshak

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A leading researcher in the prevention of problem behavior will discuss the inclusion of families in school-based interventions for at-risk youth at the Center for Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems Speaker Series on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at The University of Alabama.

Dr. Beth Stormshak, a professor in the College of Education at the University of Oregon and the director of the Prevention Science Institute, will deliver, “Family-Centered Prevention Across Development to Reduce Later Risk,” a talk focused on targets of intervention for at-risk youth and outcomes at 2 p.m. in 1093 Shelby Hall.

The talk is free and open to the public.

Stormshak will discuss results of 10 years of research based on the Family Check-Up, a model designed to engage families in interventions used to reduce risk and support school success. Stormshak said one of the features that makes the Family Check-Up unique is the tailored, adaptive approach to treatment. The result is a briefer course of intervention more efficient and cost-effective than typical interventions for children and families.

Stormshak and her collaborators have trained school personnel and worked with thousands of children. They implemented the Family Check-Up recently in a grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education where they worked with 41 schools and 12,000 students. Tuesday, she’ll discuss outcomes associated with the Family Check-Up when it is delivered during the middle school years, including students she began working with 10 years ago and are now in their early 20s.

Stormshak’s research focuses on family-centered prevention that reduces risk behavior in later childhood and adolescence, such as substance use and conduct problems. Besides the federal education department, her work has been funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control. More recently, her work has focused on dissemination and implementation of family-centered interventions in schools.

Contact

David Miller, UA Media Relations, 205/348-0825, dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu

Source

Dr. Nicole Powell, Senior Research Coordinator, Center for Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems, 205/348-3535, npowell@ua.edu