Webinar: Protect your brain: Addressing adolescent African American males and substance use

This workshop will explore the use of various substances within the United States by American youth, and, more specifically, among African American youth and African American males as compared to the larger population of young people in the US. We will review the research data associated with use among each of these groups, including prevalence, age of onset, and short- and long-term effects. We will closely examine patterns of use over the last 10 years in adolescent African American males. Further, we will also examine the developing adolescent brain, the effects of substance use on brain development, and how the adolescent brain is negatively impacted by substance use. More specifically, we will discuss the mental and neurological long- and short-term effects of substance use on the adolescent brain. Outlining the effects on the adolescent brain, we will discuss the implications for mental health practitioners in working with youth. We will share interventions that can assist with remediating use and its effects. The webinar will conclude with an opportunity for participants to ask questions, share experiences, and discuss concerns.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to identify the major sociological and psychological factors associated with increased risk of addiction.
• Participants will be able to describe at least three therapeutic interventions to reduce substance use among African American adolescent males.
• Participants will be able to characterize the social image of the adolescent African American male who has a substance use disorder.