Back arrow back to training catalog
Icon of a beer bottle, shot glass, and vape device on a purple background with repeating text 'Teen Substance Use Today'

Teen Substance Use Today:

Essential Knowledge for School Personnel

Empower Your Students. Strengthen Your Impact.

This dynamic six-module course equips educators, counselors and other school-based personnel with the essential knowledge and practical tools to prevent youth substance use before it starts. Grounded in cutting-edge prevention science, the training explores the root causes and risk factors that can lead students down the path of addiction—and how you can intervene early.

It will discuss the key principles of prevention science, as well as the factors that increase and those that decrease a young person’s risk for substance use and addiction. Modules will dive into alcohol, nicotine (vaping), marijuana, prescription drugs, and fentanyl.

Designed for immediate application in school and other youth-serving settings, this course will deepen your understanding and sharpen your ability to foster resilience, spark meaningful conversations, and create a safer, healthier environment.

Start today and become a more confident, informed advocate for your students’ well-being.

Learn more about the different ways we offer this course:

Black graphic of a person

Individual License

$79

Sign-Up
Black graphic of three people in group

Group Bundle

Bundled pricing for groups also available.

purple computer graphic

Course Type:

Asynchronous

Purple graphic of group of people

Audience:

Prevention Specialists, Health Educators, Teachers and Other School-Based Personnel

Purple graphic of teacher pointing

Instructor:

Cori Hammond, M.P.H.

Purple icon with text 'CE Credits' inside a circle, with stylized horizontal lines on the right

Continuing Education:

Certificate of Completion Upon Request

Course Overview

This six-module, self-paced course equips school personnel with foundational knowledge in prevention science and the factors that increase youth risk for substance use. Through focused lessons on alcohol, vaping, marijuana, and prescription drugs—including fentanyl—educators gain the tools to recognize early warning signs and support healthier student outcomes.

Learning Objectives

By taking this course, participants will:

  • Understand the prevalence and basic risks associated with the most common forms of substance use among youth.
  • Become familiar with the common risk and protective factors for youth substance use.
  • Recognize the signs when a student may be struggling with substance use and know how to help.

Course Outline

This recorded workshop with accompanying slide deck begins with a brief introduction followed by six 30-minute video modules:

1. Key Principles of Prevention Science and Practice

  • This module provides an overview of the key principles of prevention science. It describes how common youth risk behaviors are, offers a historical perspective of prevention strategies, and provides best practices for an effective health-based approach to prevention and the promotion of healthy youth development.

2. Understanding the Risks for Youth Substance Use

  • This module focuses on the factors that increase the risk that a young person will use and potentially have problems with nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs. It explains how adolescent brain development relates to substance use risk and why the adolescent period presents both a time for rich and exciting opportunities for growth and a time for heightened concern regarding health and safety.

3. Substances Deep Dive: Alcohol

  • This module is the first of our deep dives into specific substances, and it focuses on one of the most commonly used substances among youth and adults: alcohol. It describes how alcohol affects the brain and body, especially among young people, and the consequences associated with youth drinking. It provides research-based strategies for limiting exposure and access to alcohol, preventing use, and intervening early with those who may need help.

4. Substances Deep Dive: Nicotine Vaping

  • This module presents a deep dive into a substance that has regained its popularity among youth and young adults, nicotine, with a primary focus on the use of electronic cigarettes, or nicotine vaping products. It discusses the different types of nicotine products that appeal to youth today (including oral nicotine products), why students may be motivated to try them, why it is concerning for student health and well-being, and how educators, school staff, and other youth-serving professionals can intervene effectively.

5. Substances Deep Dive: Marijuana

  • This module presents a deep dive into marijuana or cannabis, with a focus on how and why students use it; its effects on youth health, academic performance, and well-being ;and what educators, school staff, and other youth-serving professionals can do to protect them in an age of growing acceptance of the drug.

6. Substances Deep Dive: Prescription Drugs and Fentanyl

  • This module discusses the misuse of prescription drugs like opioids, stimulants, and depressants among students and the unique risks to students of the opioid drug fentanyl. It describes the motivations for prescription drug misuse among young people and how best to protect them from the harms of these drugs, especially fentanyl, which has contaminated the illegal drug supply and led to an alarming rise in overdose deaths.

Your Instructor

Cori Hammond

Cori Hammond, M.P.H.

Director, Prevention Services

Cori Hammond, MPH, is the Director of Prevention Services at Partnership to End Addiction. She currently works with partners across the country to bring evidence-based services and resources to public school students, caregivers, and school faculty. Prior to her work with the prevention team, Cori was a part of Partnership’s Science & Technology of Early Prevention (STEP) research team and worked on Partnership’s Helpline. Cori received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree from Tulane University and her Master of Public Health from New York University.

The content for this course was created in collaboration with Linda Richter, PhD, Partnership’s Senior Vice President, Prevention Research and Analysis. Dr. Richter’s work focuses on understanding the nature, scope, predictors, and consequences of substance use and addiction, especially among young people.

Course Completion & Continuing Education (CE) Information

Upon request, a certificate of completion can be sent after completion of the course. Contact our team at solutions@toendaddiction.org for more information.

Pricing Details

  • For this asynchronous training, registration is automated with no date-related restrictions.

Our Refund Policy, Cancellation Policy, and Accessibility Accommodations

  • Full refunds are issued only if a training is canceled by Partnership to End Addiction or at the discretion of Partnership to End Addiction based on written request.
  • For partial refund of a Partnership to End Addiction training, registrants must withdraw prior to beginning the course.
  • We value inclusion and access for all participants and have worked to design the training for a variety of learners. Content includes non-captioned audio materials.

Course Interactions & System Requirements

This course is completely self-paced. Course questions can be directed to: solutions@toendaddiction.org.

System requirements

  • Operating Systems: Windows XP or higher, MacOS 9 or higher, Android 4.0 or higher
  • Internet browser: Internet Explorer 9.0 or higher, Google Chrome, Firefox 10.0 or higher
  • Broadband Internet connection: Cable, High-speed DSL & any other medium that is internet accessible.
  • Media viewing requirements: Adobe Reader, Flash Player, & HTML5