jeffwolfsberg

Services for Students • Services for Parents • Services for Faculty • Keynote & Association Workshops

jeff wolfsberg and associates

Student Services

Adolescence is a crucial time where the developmental tasks of adulthood are completed and personality is shaped. Many of the skills for becoming a successful adult are formed during adolescence. Students are strongly encouraged to choose abstinence from all drugs and to postpone their relationship with alcohol (if they choose to drink) until later in their lives when many of the developmental tasks are complete

Four-day student seminars are best taught in a classroom. To enhance the impact of the intervention, it is best to structure classes with no more than 20 students. It is essential to keep those student groups in the same constellation throughout the four-day seminar. Although many schools have different scheduling systems, we find “where there is a will there is a way” it is possible to meet this ideal. We have years of experience helping schools design schedules, please call our office for assistance.

We prefer that:

Instructors are not teaching students during a lunch period (while they are eating)
During a study hall (their free time)
In a gym or isolated area of a library

Middle School Four-Day Seminar (Grade 8)

Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention
Parent-Student night

Our Approach

The goal of the middle school seminar is to provide adolescents with the knowledge, skills, and understanding necessary to act in ways that enhance their immediate and long-term health.

The approach is positive, affirming and strength-based to health and well-being. Emphasis is placed on affective, skill and cognitive objectives. Group discussion is encouraged with students. Interactive exercises are utilized to reinforce learning objectives and multiple learning styles. In addition, a sense of fun is infused into all the lessons.

Family Take-Home Lesson. Parents and guardians are provided with a take-home prevention activity that they can complete with their children and return. The lessons are designed to enhance parent–child communication regarding prevention skills and knowledge.

Core features of the seminar

Interactive and fun
Developmentally appropriate (no scare tactics, moralistic appeals, or drug stories)
Sensitive to gender differences
Targeting risk and protective factors
Teaching refusals skills and social skills

Addiction

Who’s at risk? A discussion of the biological, psychological, environmental, social risk factors that increase the risk of chemical dependency
Separating fact from fiction A discussion about societal stereotypes that addiction is dominant in a specific gender, cultural or socioeconomic group

Tobacco

Short term and long term effects of tobacco are discussed (cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco (chew)

Alcohol

Alcohol and its effects on physical and mental function
Correcting misconceptions (social norms) about drinking. “Is everyone really doing it?”
Why alcohol is more dangerous for kids than adults; social and brain (neurological) development
Social use, abuse and dependency – understanding when use is abuse
How alcohol affects men and women differently

Marijuana

Immediate and long-term effects of marijuana
Marijuana and Hollywood! – taking a critical look at the messages being sent
Myths and misconceptions about marijuana

Understanding and Dealing Effectively with Peer Pressure

Strategies and skills are taught to adolescents to be able to arm them with the ability to say no to negative peer pressure and maintain their friendships and dignity

Choosing Not To Use

A discussion about the internal and external pressures to use alcohol and other drugs and strategies to cope and overcome those pressure
How to establish realistic and constructive goals and examining the obstacles and supports to achieve those goals. (Alcohol and other drug use being a primary obstacle)
Discuss negative self-talk around alcohol and other drug use such as, “if I don’t drink, everyone will think I’m a loser”
Reinforce positive social norms (i.e. Most young people do not use drugs)
Students are encouraged to strengthen efforts to make both their school and community drug-free through a variety of activities

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Upper School Four-Day Seminar (Grades 9-12)

Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention & Intervention

Our Approach

Our approach in the upper school seminar is pragmatic and practical. We view drinking not as dichotomous absolutes but as falling along a continuum going from abstinence (a very safe behavior) to frequent and heavy drinking (a very dangerous behavior). We promote abstinence, delaying personal use of alcohol, making safer decisions such as using a designated driver, not riding with those who have been drinking, and avoiding unsafe drinking situations. Our approach accepts students wherever they fall in the continuum and attempts to move them in a direction of safe behaviors. Moving a student from less safe to safer behaviors is seen as a success. We address choices students make about living their own lives. The experience of the student must be recognized and valued. This means we value process and interaction over predetermined curricula. A predetermined curriculum ignores the significance of the teachable moment. Information or experience is best shared when it is relevant and when students want to know.

Goals of our seminar

Increasing the proportion of youths who are current abstainers and intend to continue to abstain.
Delay age of first onset (e.g., increasing the average age of first use or first episode of heavy use);
Reduce problematic use including bingeing, mixing drugs, using unknown and impure substances.
Reducing the intensity (frequency and quantity) of drinking;
Promote responsibility for self and others and related knowledge about a) signs of abuse and dependency, (b) how to approach and assist people showing signs of problematic use, and (c) awareness of helping resources in the school and community.

Core features of the seminar

Interactive and fun
Designed to reduce resistance
Gender sensitive and gender specific
Incorporates abstinence based messages and risk reduction strategies
Targeting risk and protective factors

Addiction

A discussion of addiction with an emphasis on adolescent concerns - breaking down societal stereotypes that addiction is dominant in a specific gender, race, or socioeconomic group. Discussion will move beyond the predominant belief that addiction is a physical condition and towards the impact alcohol and drug use has on social, emotional and psychological maturation
What kinds of things can be people be addicted to? – Chemicals, food, gambling, and behaviors
Recovery from addiction is discussed, treatment options, and counseling approaches. The “process” of addiction and different theories of addiction are presented. We discuss the stages that lead up to drug dependence with an emphasis on phases (1) learning the mood swing and phase (2) seeking the mood swing. Phases 1 and 2 are common among adolescents involved with harmful drug use

Risk and Protective Factors

What are the many factors; biological, environmental, psychological, that contributes to the risk of alcohol and other drug dependence? In contrast, what are the many protective factors that contribute to overcoming adversity and risk?

Drugs: The Hijacked Brain

Neurological and psychological discussions of the effects of drug use on brain function with the emphasis on learning and social maturation
Marijuana is the most widely used drug in the United States other than alcohol and continues to be surrounded by confusion and myth. It is widely considered to be harmless and not addictive to users. In this discussion, fact is separated from fiction. Marijuana is debunked as the harmless drug society often presents. Issues such as; legal pot, medical marijuana, and other misconceptions are discussed and clarified.
Prescription drug abuse is a growing concern among adolescents and adults. Group discourse will focus on appropriate and inappropriate uses of prescription drugs and the dangerous relationship between mixing prescribed medications with alcohol and/or other illicit drugs.
Popular club drugs are discussed: Ecstasy, GHB, etc…

Alcohol & Relationships

Social use (healthy, responsible, legal use of alcohol)
Abuse and the development of social dependency
Dependence - Physical and Emotional (Psychological)
The relationship between alcohol and sex: unwanted pregnancy, STD’s, HIV, assault, and unplanned sexual activity
Specific considerations for males and females - alcohol does not treat everyone equally
Discussion about binge drinking, alcohol poisoning, blacking out, passing out, drinking games and other high-risk behavior with alcohol
The importance of postponing alcohol usage is stressed and encouraged
Risk reduction strategies are discussed.

Are You Concerned About A Friend?

How do kids help kids?
What are the obstacles to effective helping?
When does friendship become enabling? When does love and support make a friend sicker?
Recognizing big trouble: suicide, eating disorders, depression, and violent threats. Students learn when situations may be out of their control and when an adult must get involved.
Students are encouraged to help one another adopt health-enhancing behaviors and seek additional support from family, friends, trusted adults, and professional caregivers.
Identifying helping resources within your community
- School counselors
- School student assistance programs or referral programs
- Local mental health community centers
- Teachers and parents
Skills are presented and practiced for effective peer intervention.
Students are encouraged to think about the importance of their relationship with friends and family.
Students reflect on difficulties that can arise in relationships and then explore ways of handling these situations.

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College-Bound: Successful Transition

Target Audience: High School Seniors
Time: 50-60 minutes - 90 minutes if a Q & A is added

In this workshop we will discuss:

The emotional changes that occur freshman year and adjustment skills
Warnings signs that should let you know it may be time to see your advisor
Tips every freshman should know to have a happy and successful transition to college

Seniors will learn:

It is normal to experience grief and a sense of loss when graduating;
How to deal with difficult roommates;
Academic and study skills for college success;
How to adjust to the new social climate of college. What is it like to start all over again?
How to get the most out of orientation and welcome week activities;
How to handle the party scene;
And much more...

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When Bad Things Happen to a Good Kid

Target Audience: High School and College
Time: 50-60 minutes - 90 minutes if a Q & A is added

Drug addiction and alcohol abuse have long been characterized as the domain of kids at risk or from specific socioeconomic backgrounds. But what happens when drug addiction and alcohol abuse touch what educators think of as the heart and soul of their school? In high school, Jeff was class president, Boy’s State Representative, Student Council member, Captain of numerous athletic teams, and voted “Best All-Around” his senior year by his classmates. He gave the commencement speech for his high school graduation and spoke of a hopeful future filled with possibilities and values shaped by parents and educators. Yet, seven short years later, Jeff found himself homeless on the streets of Boston looking for twenty dollars to buy another hit of crack cocaine. Jeff’s story smashes all the images and preconceived notions of what a young addict and alcohol abuser looks like.

In this lively, humorous, and poignant presentation, Jeff talks about his downward spiral into drug addiction and how he climbed out. His presentation reaches those who do not drink or use other drugs and those that do. Even the most resistant students have said that Jeff has a way of presenting information that didn’t turn them off and made them want to listen.

“We have speakers come to our school every year. Jeff is the best I ever heard. My friends and I are still talking about the points he made.”
John, 11th Grade Student, Philadelphia, PA

QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD

Jeff includes concrete prevention information and solutions within his program as well as thought-provoking question-and-answer sessions with audiences, as time allows.

ON-SITE SUPPORT

As a prevention specialist, Jeff can remain on site two-four additional hours following his presentation to support and mentor students who are seeking his advice one-to-one or in small groups. Students who have rarely shared their pain, find Jeff’s guidance a turning point in their lives. Jeff is also available to visit with leadership groups and various classrooms.

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The Four Best Years of Your Life

Target Audience: College Freshmen Orientation
Time: 50-60 minutes - 90 minutes if a Q & A is added

According to the Core Institute, an organization that surveys college-drinking practices, 159,000 of today’s first-year college students will drop out of school next year for alcohol or other drug related reasons. The research goes on to say that almost one-third of college students admit to having missed at least one class because of their alcohol or other drug use. Many of the high school seniors we work with are eager to get to the “party” in college. Unfortunately, many are unequipped for the abrupt social and emotional changes of college life. When the protective fences of high school (parents, curfews, police) fall away, there are those who cannot cope with the freedom and many choices facing them.
Through his training and educational work with more than 1,000 audiences around the world, Jeff knows how to tailor his speech with your students in mind. Designed to reduce resistance to educational messages around substance use, his program targets both risk and protective factors. Jeff incorporates abstinence-based messages and risk reduction strategies into his program while remaining gender sensitive and gender specific. His warm, approachable style combined with his sincere concern for the well-being of his audience members make Jeff an outstanding educator such that his calendar is usually booked more than a year in advance!

“He gets it, he really does. It’s not a lot of statistics and facts. I’m laughing one minute and the next totally connecting to what he is saying like he’s describing my life.”
Ashley, College Freshman, St. Louis, MO

In this presentation, Jeff will discuss:

The social and emotional changes that occur freshman year and effective adjustment skills.
Warnings signs regarding alcohol use, academic and social problems that should let you know it may be time to see your advisor.
Tips every freshman should know to have a happy, successful, and safe transition to college.
How to increase your awareness of personal safety.
How to get the most out of your first year in college both socially and academically.
How not to be a victim of sexual assault or foul play.

QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD

Jeff includes concrete prevention information and solutions within his program as well as thought-provoking question-and-answer sessions with audiences, as time allows.

ON-SITE SUPPORT

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Do You Remember Me?

Target Audience: High School and College Student
Time: 50-60 minutes – 90 minutes if a Q & A is added

For more than ten years, Jeff has been traveling the world speaking to secondary school and college students about alcohol abuse and drug addiction. During this time, Jeff has met amazing students coping with the destruction alcohol abuse and drug addiction can cause personally and to families. His presentation will enable the audience to meet and hear the stories of these students through Jeff’s unique narrative style.

Students will remember the stories of the students that touched Jeff’s life long after he is gone.

QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD

Jeff includes concrete prevention information and solutions within his program as well as thought-provoking question-and-answer sessions with audiences, as time allows.

ON-SITE SUPPORT

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