Prevention Academy Saint Joseph's University
Housed within Saint Joseph’s University School of Education and Human Development, Prevention Academy is rooted in the idea of cura personalis, inspiring healthy individuals and communities through the promotion of health and wellness, good decision-making, climate and culture building, and prosocial identity development.
The primary aim of Prevention Academy is to nurture a supportive environment in our neighboring school communities that focuses on fostering protective factors to promote prevention, identifying and reducing risk, and intervening in unhealthy attitudes and behaviors. Prevention Academy empowers adolescents and the adults who care for them to make well-informed and healthy choices regarding substance use, thus placing adolescents in the best possible climate as they learn and grow.
Mission
Housed within Saint Joseph’s University School of Education and Human Development, Prevention Academy is rooted in the idea of cura personalis, inspiring healthy individuals and communities through the promotion of health and wellness, good decision-making, climate and culture building, and prosocial identity development.
Strategic Focus
Prevention Academy takes a multipronged approach to prevention by educating students and the adults who care for them (e.g., school stakeholders, parents, guardians, community members) about healthy living and informed decision-making. We do carry this out in a multitude of ways:
Education Programming
- Student workshops
- Staff and faculty training
- Parent and guardian support and resource opportunities
Research and Program Evaluation
- Utilize a community-informed approach to ensure the needs of the community are represented, addressed, and understood
- Examine the efficacy of educational programming
- Identify and bolster prosocial inventories of today’s students that contribute to their wellness
Training
- Prepare graduate students in helping professions to discuss prevention; not just recovery
- Train community members to become certified prevention specialists
- Utilize a “train the trainer” model to prepare the adults who care for today’s children to discuss healthy behaviors and decision-making with the kids they support
Saint Joseph’s University Launches Substance-Use-Prevention Program for Delaware County Middle and High Schools
Funded through a $500,000 grant from Delaware County’s opioid settlement fund, Prevention Academy will support school communities in building a culture and climate of prevention.
Information and Resources
Resources
Resources
Prevention Academy pursues its mission through conversations with students around healthy living and decision-making.
Trainings and Events
Trainings and Events
We are proud to hire professional prevention consultants to prepare our prevention specialists.
Meet the Team
Meet the Team
Our prevention specialists undergo rigorous training and are required to pass state and federal background checks before joining our team.