Importance of feedback:

An important component of successful Brief Interventions is the delivery of personalised feedback on the young person's assessment, so as to contextualise his/her substance use in respect of his/her peer group.

It is important to:

1. Be honest - do not exaggerate the extremity of a young person's substance use.
2. Conversely, avoid unwittingly "normalising" (and potentially reinforcing) the young person's reported drug use.
3. Consider the fact that the young person's immediate peer group/social ecology may be either (or both):
1. A resilience factor (non-drug-using, pro-social, supportive and challenging YP's substance use) or...
2. A vulnerability factor (drug-using, normalising substance use, antisocial, collusive.)

How to deliver feedback:

1. Invite curiosity:

"I've been asking all these questions... I find myself wondering if YOU might be wondering what kind of things I have begun to understand from this assessment?"

2. Use understandable and memorable images:

"Imagine all the young people of your age within twenty miles of here were lined up in long line... Now imagine they are lined up in order of how heavily involved with substance use they are... the very heaviest involved are on that end, moving down to the lowest involved at this end.

where would you want to be on that scale?

where do you think you actually are?

When they answer that question, do remember that it may be that they are moving in a group that use more, or less than most young people. Use web-based statistics to compare their use to that of the general population of their age-group.

3. Cover core details:

Assuming the young person can be engaged to show interest, try to cover your assessment of their habit in terms of:

1. AMOUNT
2. SEVERITY
3. RISKS

4. Conclude with choices and treatment options:

"Now that you have this knowledge, I am guessing that you may want to leave it at that, but you may also like to think about the kinds of choices you have about what to do next?"