This report presents the findings of the third year of a three-year study of Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention (SAPIS) programs in New York City public schools. The first part of the final-year study was a survey of students previously contacted. The second part was a qualitative study of students receiving counseling. The goals of the three years of studies were to better understand: (1) the lives of at-risk students; (2) the intervention process; and (3) the impact of intervention on students' lives. Counseling had a positive impact on the majority of students. They reported improved academic performance during the second year of counseling, as well as improvement in handling their personal lives. Students were asked to report on the successful and difficult characteristics of the intervention programs. Reported benefits include the following: (1) trust and respect between counselor and student; (2) ability to express difficult feelings; (3) healthier friendships; and (4) a sense of empowerment induced by a better understanding of what can and cannot be changed in their lives. The problems with intervention as perceived by the students were: (1) sharing painful feelings; (2) confronting problems and accepting limitations; (3) scheduling and time constraints; and (4) involuntary termination of counseling. (KM)