Educating high school teachers in applying programs for the prevention of drug abuse

The Counselling Center for Combating Drug Abuse in Ioannina has planned and is currently applying a program on drug abuse prevention for high school students. The main object of this program is to enable students to develop basic skills and personal capabilities to cope with difficulties, expecting in this way to change their attitudes against drug use.These programs are carried out by specialists or alternatively by teachers who have already been entirely educated how to apply prevention programs in a group oriented way. In addition teachers are supervised by a specialist so they can discuss with him both the progress of the program and the difficulties or questions which arise as the program goes on.Although teachers are often regarded as the most suitable to apply such programs because of their close and continuous contact with their students, there are difficulties which some times make the implementation of the program problematic. Such difficulties arise either from insufficient education in the philosophy of prevention programs or from their rigid convictions about educational techniques. If we want teachers to be effective in applying preventive programs they must become familiar with experiential techniques and work in groups.Supervision and examination of their motivations are also of great importance. Teachers who will be educated to apply these programs should be carefully selected in order to be appropriate to learn a new way to teach their students.