Andrew Finch
Associate Professor of the Practice, Department of Human and Organizational Development; Core Faculty, Human Development Counseling Vanderbilt University
- Nashville TN
An expert who specializes in recovery high schools, substance use disorders, teen addiction and school counseling.
Multimedia
Biography
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
Advocate for Action
Presented by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
Counselor Advocate of the Year
Presented by the Middle Tennessee Counselor Association
Outstanding Individual Program
Presented to Chapter Executive Committee by the Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional International Honor Society
Education
Vanderbilt University
Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University
M.A.
University of Kansas
B.S.
Affiliations
- Member, American Counseling Association
- Member, American Educational Research Association
- Co-Founder and Board of Directors Senior Advisor, Association of Recovery Schools
Selected Media Appearances
Rising Up: Eight months inside Frederick’s Phoenix Recovery Academy
The Frederick News-Post online
2024-05-25
Andrew Finch, a professor at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development and a co-founder of the Association of Recovery Schools, said the institutions can go a long way in addressing substance abuse among young people — a widespread problem that many don’t want to acknowledge exists.
It's Time For Recovery High Schools To Be The Norm
Scary Mommy online
2021-11-25
Traditionally, our public schools have not taken on that onus of meeting the needs of students with substance abuse issues. Honestly, how in the world could they? Educators are expected to stand in loco parentis, complete interminable paperwork, manage their classrooms, and actually teach; understandably, they are already expected to do too much, and they simply do not have the training and time to work with this specialized subset of students. Andrew Finch, co-founder of the Association of Recovery Schools and an associate professor of human and organizational development at Vanderbilt University, knows this. “There has been a gap in adolescent treatment for many, many years,” says Finch. “[Recovery] schools are one of the programs that fill in that gap.”
Readin'. Writin’. Recovery: Faith-based high school new option for Lehigh Valley students battling addiction
Allentown Morning Call online
2019-07-30
That’s typically why recovery high schools are successful, said Andy Finch, a professor at Vanderbilt University who has studied recovery high schools. Studies have shown that recovery high schools have a positive impact on students, and that can be attributed to the small class sizes and support systems.
“You’ve created a culture of peers who are ... trying to change their alcohol and drug use, and trying to stop,” Finch said. “When a kid starts to struggle, people are aware of it.”
Ohio Opens School For Students With Addiction
WILL News - Illinois Public Media online
2019-07-29
Research on these small schools is limited, but Vanderbilt professor Andrew Finch says outcomes have been encouraging.
"The scientific findings have shown so far that you do see a positive effect of having a recovery high school even for a short period of time," Finch says.
Finch is co-founder of the Association of Recovery Schools. In a 2017 peer-reviewed study, he and his research partner found that recovery schools have a variety of beneficial effects.
Fresh Times at Rehab High
Pacific Standard online
2018-05-14
Because recovery schools are all run independently of one another, they vary greatly in almost every other way: size, structure, curriculum, funding sources. Schools range between five and 100 students. "It's not a one-size-fits-all approach," says leading researcher on recovery high schools Andy Finch, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University and co-founder of the ARS.
Selected Articles
Readin'. Writin’. Recovery: Faith-based high school new option for Lehigh Valley students battling addiction
The Morning CallJacqueline Palochko
2019-07-30
https://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-pennsylvania-kolbe-academy-recovery-high-school-20190729-463wfpaekzeujlgim4nv6ao6va-story.html
Recovery high schools: Effect of schools supporting recovery from substance use disorders
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol AbuseAndrew J Finch, Emily Tanner-Smith, Emily Hennessy, D Paul Moberg
2017
A quasi-experimental design comparing outcomes for adolescents with treated SUDs who attended RHSs for at least 28 days versus a propensity-score balanced sample of students with treated SUDs who did not attend RHSs. The sample included 194 adolescents (134 in RHSs, 60 in non-RHSs) enrolled in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Texas schools (M age = 16; 86% White; 49% female).
The ecological and developmental role of recovery high schools
Peabody Journal of EducationAndrew J Finch, Gina Frieden
2014
Recovery high schools are secondary schools designed specifically for students recovering from substance use or co-occurring disorders. Studies have affirmed the chronic nature of substance use disorders and the developmental value of social supports for adolescents. As part of understanding human growth and development, training programs for human service professionals (teachers, counselors, and social workers) emphasize comprehension and application of developmental theories.
Recovery high schools: Students and responsive academic and therapeutic services
Peabody Journal of EducationD Paul Moberg, Andrew J Finch, Stephanie M Lindsley
2014
This article reviews findings from the authors’ studies of recovery high schools (RHS), including a 1995 program evaluation of a school in New Mexico (Moberg & Thaler, 1995), a 2006–09 descriptive study of 17 recovery high schools (Moberg & Finch, 2008), and presents early findings from a current study of the effectiveness of recovery high schools. Descriptive and qualitative findings are presented.
Continuing care in high schools: A descriptive study of recovery high school programs
Journal of child & adolescent substance abuseAndrew J Finch, D Paul Moberg, Amanda Lawton Krupp
2014
Data from 17 recovery high schools suggest programs are dynamic and vary in enrollment, fiscal stability, governance, staffing, and organizational structure. Schools struggle with enrollment, funding, lack of primary treatment accessibility, academic rigor, and institutional support. Still, for adolescents having received treatment for substance abuse, recovery schools appear to successfully function as continuing care providers, reinforcing and sustaining therapeutic benefits gained from treatment.
Recovery high schools: Opportunities for support and personal growth for students in recovery
The Prevention ResearcherAndrew Finch, Holly Wegman
2012
Every day, teenagers who have made a decision to stop abusing drugs and alcohol are required by law to return to their assigned high schools. While many teenagers are able to withstand peer pressure and the daily presence of drugs or alcohol in their midst, studies have shown that most succumb to relapse within three months, and about half return to full-blown use within a year.
