Welcome to the Office of Youth and Young Adult Services (OYYAS) Careers of Substance page. The OYYAS is a specialized unit within the MA Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS).
The mission of OYYAS is to promote personal and family growth by ensuring youth and young adults experiencing substance use and co-occurring disorders have access to developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, trauma-informed services and supports. OYYAS has a diverse continuum of care that includes services related to school-based intervention, community-based intervention, family support and engagement, outpatient treatment, medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD), youth withdrawal management and stabilization, residential treatment, and recovery supports.
Part of BSAS OYYAS’s work includes supporting organizations and people working in that statewide system of services. Careers of Substance was developed as a component of that support. This webpage is designed to serve as a comprehensive guide to key resources, trainings and technical assistance opportunities for the youth and young adult substance use and mental health workforce. These sections are defined in greater detail within this webpage and contain best practices as a resource to providers in their continuous efforts to improve substance use disorder intervention, treatment, and recovery services for youth and young adults.
Workforce competencies help to ensure providers have the appropriate skills to serve youth and young adults effectively. Competencies may include requirements related to providers’ licensure, certification, training, and areas of expertise.
- Screening and Identification
- Prevention and Diversion
- Intervention
- Assessment
- Referral
- Treatment
- Recovery Supports
- Specific Populations and Special Topics
- Case Management
- School-based Supports
- Parents, Caregivers, Family Supports
Training and Technical Assistance
Search our Training and Events Dashboard for youth/young adult related training and TA opportunities
Institute for Health and Recovery
The Institute for Health & Recovery (IHR) serves as a statewide training and technical assistance provider focused on strengthening the capacity of programs that support youth and young adults with behavioral health, substance use, and co-occurring needs. Leveraging decades of experience in trauma-informed, developmentally responsive, and recovery-oriented practices, IHR delivers specialized support to providers working across diverse systems of care.
- Adolescent Development and Trauma-Informed Practice: Delivering training aligned with the neurodevelopmental needs of youth and young adult
- Integrated Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Models: Building provider capacity to respond to complex co-occurring conditions with fidelity to person-centered and harm-reduction approaches.
- Workforce Advancement and System Readiness: Supporting organizations in the implementation of culturally responsive, developmentally appropriate practices through continuous quality improvement strategies.
- Cross-System Collaboration: Facilitating coordinated efforts among behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and educational systems to strengthen the continuum of care for high-risk youth.
- Equity, Access, and Inclusion: Embedding anti-oppressive frameworks into all aspects of training and technical assistance to promote just and equitable outcomes.
- IHR’s technical assistance model encompasses direct consultation, strategic planning, curriculum development, and facilitated learning collaboratives. Emphasizing programmatic implementation and capacity building, IHR equips providers with the tools and knowledge necessary to operationalize integrated, sustainable, and youth-centered care.
Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA)
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The BSAS OYYAS provides training, technical assistance and support to the MA workforce on The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA). A-CRA is an evidence based developmentally-appropriate cognitive behavioral treatment for youth and young adults ages 12 to 24 years old with substance use disorders developed by Chestnut Health Systems. A-CRA seeks to increase the family, social, and educational reinforcers to support recovery. A-CRA includes three types of sessions: youth alone, parents/caregivers alone, and youth and parents/caregivers together. According to the individual’s needs and self-assessment of happiness in multiple life areas, clinicians choose from a variety of A-CRA procedures that address, for example, problem-solving skills to cope with day-to-day stressors, communication skills, and active participation in positive social and recreational activities with the goal of improving life satisfaction and eliminating alcohol and substance use problems. The Statewide A-CRA Trainer conducts trainings, group coaching calls, and supervision to help clinicians and supervisor achieve A-CRA Certification.
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Please see the A-CRA Resources section below to learn more information, view the A-CRA provider list, and read about the Statewide Adolescent Addiction Graduate Internship Program.
iDecide
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iDecide is an education-based intervention for students who have violated their school’s substance use policy. It is a science-based alternative to suspension, expulsion, and other exclusionary practices. iDECIDE is a collaboration between OYYAS, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Institute for Health and Recovery.
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iDecide Facilitator Training: Facilitators will be required to attend a free, one-day training and participate in continuing education and facilitator coaching and support to maintain their certification. If you have questions regarding how to become an iDECIDE facilitator, please reach out to iDECIDE@mgh.harvard.edu
C4 Innovations
C4 Innovations implements evidence-informed, developmentally appropriate interventions designed to enhance adolescent behavioral health, substance use prevention, and overall wellness. These initiatives are grounded in principles of racial equity, trauma-informed care, and the integration of lived experience within service delivery models.
C4 Innovations provides comprehensive infrastructure to support effective implementation, fidelity, and sustainability of youth-centered models. Services include:
- Hybrid training platforms combining asynchronous modules with live instruction
- Supervisor and mentor onboarding and skill-building
- Learning communities and reflective supervision
- Customized technical assistance, including data collection protocols, outreach materials, and site-level adaptation for special populations (e.g., LGBTQIA+ youth, immigrant youth, students with disabilities
Project Amp is a trauma-informed, strengths-based intervention that pairs adolescents with trained young adult peer mentors. These mentors, who draw on lived and living experience with recovery, mental health, or related challenges, engage youth in brief mentoring sessions utilizing motivational interviewing, healing-centered engagement, and positive youth development. The model aims to build protective factors, reduce stigma, and increase access to non-clinical support for youth navigating risk factors related to substance use and behavioral health.
Youth Wellness Coaches are near-peer professionals placed within middle and high schools to provide direct, non-clinical behavioral health and wellness support. Coaches are trained in evidence-based practices including SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), Project Amp, iDECIDE, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility. In collaboration with school staff, they deliver individualized support, facilitate group-based activities, and enhance the school’s capacity to identify and respond to student wellness needs.
For more information, please visit: https://c4innovates.com/youth-wellness-coaches/
Resources
Please note that some materials on the Resource Page, particularly the Quick Guide to Substance Use Services for Young People listed on the Clearinghouse and the Principals of Care and Practice Guidances, are currently under development. We are updating outdated resources and creating new resources to better serve you. We appreciate your patience.
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MA DPH Bureau of Substance Addiction Services Office of Youth and Young Adult Services
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Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline – Youth & Young Adult Services
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Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) Resources
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Statewide Adolescent Addiction Graduate Internship Program: In partnership with A-CRA providers, DPH/BSAS offers the Statewide Adolescent Addiction Graduate Internship Program with specialized training, supervision, and clinical webinars to final year graduate students. Students receive practical experience in working with an adolescent population and achieving an A-CRA certification. The program aligns with the Governor’s Social Work Education Core Principles for Prevention and Management of Substance Misuse. It incorporates evidence-based standardized practice in the development of a co-occurring enhanced adolescent-serving workforce.
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