School-based Alternative Peer Groups

The School Based Alternative Peer Group APG brings an evidence-based model of recovery support inside the school setting to reach disadvantaged students, advance behavioral health equity and reduce stigma . APGs are a comprehensive adolescent recovery support model that integrates recovering peers and prosocial activities into an evidence-based clinical practice. They promise to be an effective tool with which to turn the tide in the fight against the opioid epidemic. School Based APGs serve to increase the receipt of APG services for disadvantaged student populations. We will extend our stand-alone APG's services inside a high school on Cape Cod by adding an additional recovery coach to the APG staff. We will develop and conduct research on outcomes and metrics for this program model. We will create a School Based APG 'Toolkit' resource and online School Based APG infrastructure to be housed on the NNLM website . Adolescents and their families, with the assistance of APG staff and school library staff, will be able to access the latest educational content about addiction, medication assisted treatment and recovery supports using the NNLM resources, such as MedLINEPlus and PU BMED. School Based APGs are held on school campuses with two student groups per week during school hours, one family night in the evening and one Friday night social function.