Youth Workers Helping GP’s Respond to Youth Substance Use

YSAS (Victoria’s Youth Support and Advocacy Service), has released guidelines detailing how to best work with young people withdrawing from drugs. A culmination of the best practical evidence available and 20 years working with young people in Victoria, YSAS’s Adolescent Withdrawal Guidelines offers clear prescribing advice as well as therapeutic interventions. Authors Associate Professor Yvonne Bonomo and YSAS Clinical Services Director Mark O’Brien, spent a combined 1000+ hours writing the guidelines that, it is hoped, will influence the way GP’s treat substance use and will lead to reduced substance related harm. 

Guidelines are available here. 

YSAS CEO Andrew Brunn reports “YSAS’s vision of a community, where all young people have every opportunity to thrive, has led to us make this resource available (for free) to anyone working with young people.”

The Adolescent Withdrawal Guidelines join a suite of evidence based resources YSAS has developed to support any service working with adolescents, both here in Victoria and across Australia.