Booster sessions and long-term effects of behavioral family therapy on adolescent substance use and school performance.

This study investigated the long-term impact on adolescent substance use and academic failure of 6 months of booster sessions following the termination of behavioral family therapy. Subjects were four 14-16-year-old white and Hispanic males and females whose parents or teachers had referred them for 5-12 months of behavioral family therapy. The first subject received no booster sessions; after the typical decrease in substance use and academic problems at the end of treatment, his problems recurred and subsequently worsened during follow-up. The other three subjects responded similarly to behavioral family therapy, but this was followed by 6 months of booster sessions, leading to a second decrease in substance use and academic problems. Improvement was maintained throughout follow-up. These results suggest that booster sessions can prevent the recurrences of adolescent problem behavior that often follow treatment termination.