Ellen Vaughan Project 2

Over one-fourth of young adults had an alcohol use disorder in the last year and eight percent had a drug use disorder in the last year. 

However, despite high rates of problematic substance use, only 10.9 percent of people needing treatment for a substance use disorder get specialized treatment. Furthermore, the costs of substance use disorders to young people are high, and in the college context, can include physical harm, diminished academic performance and other social costs.

In response, colleges and universities are growing in their commitment to specialized services for students with substance use disorders and for those in recovery. As part of the Responding to the Addictions Crisis Grand Challenge initiative, Ellen Vaughan, associate professor in the IU School of Education, is working to meet the unmet treatment need by testing two counseling approaches for substance use disorders among young adults. Vaughan’s team also will develop a group counseling program for those who identify as being in recovery for a substance use disorder.

Participants are being recruited from IU Bloomington and Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington. All participants will receive counseling services in the Center for Human Growth, a counseling training clinic in the School of Education. Counseling will take place over the course of eight to 12 weeks and will focus in on the individual’s goals for changing their substance use patterns.

The team hopes to use the results from this project to establish ongoing services for students with substance use disorders in the Center for Human Growth, therefore increasing access to counseling in our community.