Feeling ‘SPIFY’: The Lasting Legacy of the SPF

(Ohio Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Prevention & Promotion) 

Does your job description include changing lives, social norms, cultures, behaviors, laws and policies, partnerships, and beyond? What you’ll need is a system that is equal parts universal and customizable.

Enter the SPF

It’s been 20 years since the rollout of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  Referred to as “spiff” by the prevention community, this evidence-based, iterative strategic planning methodology has become the backbone of prevention efforts across the United States. Originally developed to tackle substance misuse, the framework is now applied to a diverse array of mental, emotional, behavioral, and public health challenges. Everything from gambling addictions to suicide prevention to promoting healthy intimate partner relationships and more. This month, with the help of Richard Lucey, senior prevention program manager at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, we reflect on how the SPF has been built to last but also continues to evolve.

The Roll Out: Early Adoption of the SPF in Ohio

The SPF was developed by SAMHSA as a response to the need for a more systematic approach to preventing the use and resulting harms of drugs and alcohol. It capitalized on the Risk and Prevention Factors Framework developed through the scholarly work of J. David Hawkins, Richard E Catalano, and Janet Y. Miller at the University of Washington, research that came out in the mid-90s.

"At the time, there was a real demand for a framework that could not only guide prevention efforts but also ensure consistency across communities," Rich explains.

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