Chronic Marijuana Use In Teens and Young Adults: “What’s the Big Deal?”

This workshop will focus on how to engage youth in an exploration of their use without increasing defensiveness. It will explore the impact of chronic marijuana use in a variety of functional areas, including physical, behavioral, psychological and emotional. The impact of recent changes to the law on attitudes and behavior will also be discussed.

Objectives:

• Participants will identify their own biases about marijuana and explore the impact on work with teens and young adults.
• Participants will be able to identify the physical, behavioral, psychological, and emotional impact of chronic marijuana use on adolescents
• Participants will learn strategies to engage youth in exploration about their use without increasing defensiveness

About the Bio:

Rick Cresta LICSW is a faculty member at Boston University School of Social Work. He has a private clinical social work practice specializing in substance use, violence,  and work with court-involved youth and young adults. He has been a trainer and consultant for DCF, DYS, and DPH,  in addition to many other agencies and organizations throughout the state.