Bruce Parsons

bruce.parsons@socwk.utah.edu

Specialties: Alcohol and other drug use prevention and treatment

Classes Taught: Public Service Domain-Practice courses

Favorite Quote:
"In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." - Camus

Dr. Parsons has an extensive background working with both adult and adolescent alcohol and drug abuse in both the areas of treatment as well as program development and evaluation. As a member of the Core Group of Experts in the Consultant Exchange Data Base (CEDB) for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) as well as being on the Expert Panel for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, he has provided technical assistance to both state and local service systems on treatment efficacy, prevention and program evaluation. His current work as Principal Investigator for the states of Montana and Wyoming Needs Assessment focuses on the development of a state database to support prevention planning for Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drug Abuse (ATOD) at the community level throughout the states of Montana and Wyoming. He is also the PI for three statewide initiatives to develop statewide infrastructure and prevention programming. These initiatives are entitled State Incentive Grants and are deigned to measure community capacity; test the effectiveness of scientific based prevention/intervention programs and evaluate complex system changes at the state level. All three projects are funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP).

As one of the progenitors of Functional Family Therapy, a nationally recognized "best practice", Dr. Parsons has provided training and program evaluation expertise both nationally and internationally. Functional Family Therapy has recently been nominated as a model program by the Centers for Disease Control as well as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention under the auspices of CSAP. Functional Family Therapy is the most respected, empirically based treatment for adolescent substance abuse and violence to emerge from the literature. His pioneering work represents the most frequently cited model for clinical outcome research and is routinely cited as the standard for such research.

In addition to his work in the States of Montana Utah, and Wyoming, Dr. Parsons is currently an Associate Professor of Research and Associate Director of the Social Research Institute at the University of Utah where he has oversight responsibility for three Byrne Grant programs sponsored by CCJJ, and the Utah Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. During the past year Dr. Parsons has conducted an evaluation of the Adult Drug Court services in Salt Lake City, the Methapmphetimene Initiative in Salt Lake City, and is currently involved in the evaluation of a Community Policing initiative with an emphasis on methamphetamene abuse, criminality and crime mapping. Dr. Parsons has served as Clinical Director to a number of adult and adolescent drug treatment programs. These programs have included Boys Town, Inland Valley Recovery Centers of Southern California, Community Psychiatric Centers, and South Coast Community Medical' Center in Laguna Beach, California. He is currently a member of the Mayor's Drug Control Task Force and Policy Advisory Committee.

His most recent research collaboration prior to his current responsibilities has been with the Department of Public Health and Human Services in the State of Montana. There he provided technical assistance to the Department in completion of an outcome study of a statewide-managed care program for children and youth. The results of this outcome study lead to an interest in pursuing funding to further understand the risk and protective factors involved in adolescent substance abuse so that treatment and prevention strategies could be developed for the population of youth presenting with dual disorders. The outcome data suggested that coordination of resources at the State level coupled with community organization using data based programs for prevention and treatment was a necessary next planning step for the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Dr. parsons has a long history in community organization, program implementation, and evaluation, He completed his Post Doctoral Fellowship in Community Psychology from the University of Utah and was instrumental in the development of the Salt Lake City Community Mental Health Center (Valley Mental Health). Over the years Dr. Parsons has worked closely as a consultant to state and local Juvenile and Adult Correctional Systems, Mental Health Centers, Managed Care Organizations, private psychiatric hospitals, school districts and independent provider groups. During the past 25 years Dr. Parsons has provided direct patient care to adults and youth through his private psychotherapy practice. He estimates that he has provided in excess of 60,000 clinical hours of direct service.