Assessing Adolescent Substance Abuse Programs With Updated Quality Indicators: The Development of a Consumer Guide for Adolescent Treatment

When adolescent substance abuse requires treatment, few parents know which treatment features are important and which treatment programs are effective. There are few resources to help them select appropriate care. We describe early work on an evaluation method and comparative treatment guide for parents based upon the premise that the quality of a program and its potential effectiveness is a function of the number and frequency of evidence-based treatment practices (EBPs) delivered. Thus, we describe the development of and measurement approach for a set of EBPs toward the goal of developing a Consumer Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment.