Introduction
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is designed to provide universal screening, secondary prevention (detecting risky or hazardous substance use before the onset of abuse or dependence), and early intervention and treatment within health care settings for people who have problematic or hazardous alcohol problems.
Nevada’s Train, Educate, Adopt & Collaborate for Healthcare SBIRT (teachSBIRT) Curriculum Infusion Packet (CIP) is designed to provide resources for faculty in helping profession academic programs (e.g., Social Work, Counseling, Psychology and Behavioral Health) to present SBIRT to students in order to:
- Gain awareness around epidemiological trends and data regarding the percentage of the US population participating in risky alcohol and other drug use, and medical conditions associated with risky drinking and drug use
- View a standardized SBIRT protocol which demonstrates an emphasis on the three core brief intervention strategies that are consistent with a motivational interviewing approach, including avoiding roadblocks, reflective listening, and evoking change talk.
At the end of the curriculum infusion, students will be able to:
- Describe the difference between individuals with no risk around drinking behaviors, those participating in risky drinking and those who may need further screening for a substance use disorder;
- Identify screening tools used to assess patients for risky alcohol and other drug use;
- Recognize screening skills with an evidence-based tool; and
- Detect the effective use of brief intervention strategies and techniques to motivate individuals to change their at-risk substance use behavior and/or seek treatment.
The teachSBIRT CIP contains all the materials necessary to present SBIRT even if you do not have a strong background in Substance Use Disorders or Motivational Interviewing. The CIP consists of approximately four hours of instruction and is designed so that it can be adapted to the specific teaching format or timeframe with which you are working (i.e., online or traditional classroom; 1-, 2-, or 3-hour sessions). The CIP consists of 1) nine PowerPoint slide decks with instructor notes; 2) a classroom activity designed to increase awareness around standard drink sizes; 3) 10 case studies for use in practicing the SBIRT protocol; 4) Educational Hand-outs designed for use in delivering the SBIRT protocol; 5) three screening videos (Introduction to SBIRT, SBIRT Alcohol Screen Scenario and SBIRT Drug Screen Scenario); and 60 Additional resources including a link to an online Motivational Interviewing course.
teachSBIRT can be an effective teaching tool for preparing the next generation of practitioners to effectively identify and provide early intervention for individuals at risk for developing substance use disorders.