Assistance with tobacco cessation (family members and caregivers)

Assisting family members or caregivers with tobacco cessation is an important part of the CEASE program.

Behavioral supports for family members and caregivers

Consider the STAR approach when assisting family members and caregivers for tobacco cessation.

You may also want to incorporate key aspects of motivational interviewing (MI) techniques during counseling. For example:

• Ask permission: Ask the parent or caregiver whether it is okay to talk about tobacco/vaping and TSE.
• Show empathy: Say something like “We know that nicotine addiction is powerful, and people struggle with this all the time.”
• Offer help: Say “I have some resources to help you quit.”
• Keep your counseling session short: Review the video below to hear what motivational interviewing sounds like. A discussion with the family member or caregiver may be shorter than you think. Motivational interviewing will help you discuss options for quitting in a targeted way.

Remember the key elements of MI:

• • Focus on the patient’s view of the situation.
  • Elicit the patient’s own reasons for change (not your reasons).
  • Let your patients do the work.

For detailed information on how to use motivational interviewing techniques, refer to this video.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

Consider pharmacologic cessation support for family members or caregivers who are moderately to severely dependent on nicotine. Use the following steps and refer to the CEASE program guidelines for NRT as needed.

For detailed information, refer to the following AAP site: Counseling About Smoking Cessation (aap.org)