https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-fjew8-1b37952
This episode unpacks Dr. Curtis Peterson’s Ecological Identity Model to explain why adolescents use substances. It shows how biology, social context, and development interact across continua—from experimentation to disorder—and introduces four overlapping pathways (externalizing, internalizing, repeated use, contextual) and the concept of developmental cascades.
Using case examples like Roger and practical guidance, the episode emphasizes function-focused assessment, matching interventions to underlying mechanisms, and three tiers of prevention aimed at changing the ecosystem rather than blaming the individual.