The Northern Kentucky University (NKU) SBIRT Health Professions Student Training Project is aimed at developing and providing hands-on training to both undergraduate and graduate students at NKU. The primary focus is to provide transdisciplinary training to future nurses, social workers, counselors, and human services/addictions workers, who will soon be entering the professional workforce in their chosen capacities.
The three-year federally funded grant from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has several long-term goals:
The SBIRT pocket card was developed for use as a guide for health professionals and other providers during a brief alcohol or substance use intervention with patients. One side of the card includes brief substance use screening questions, low-risk alcohol consumption chart, a definition of risk categories and recommended actions. The other side identifies misuse through a five-step brief intervention procedure, includes a summary of key interviewing questions and techniques, and provides a readiness-to-change scale to share as a visual aid with patients.
BRIEF INTERVENTION: Brief motivational and awareness-raising interventions are most effective for risky or problematic substance users. Asking permission, assessing readiness to change, and making a plan for change works.
REFERRAL to TREATMENT: Referring those who are high risk or dependent on substances may require a referral to more intensive/specialized substance use treatment.
The NKU SBIRT team is funded by SAMHSA to provide training to community healthcare and behavioral healthcare providers in addition to its student training project. Training is tailored to meet the need of each organization and includes programs from 1-6 hours in length.
Topics include: Substance Use Screening, Motivational Interviewing, Brief Interventions, Implementing SBIRT in Healthcare Settings, Integrating SBIRT into Psychotherapy, among other topics. CEUs and Continuing Education credits are available.
For more informations about Staff and Professional Training contact:
David Wilkerson, LCSW, LISW-S
NKU SBIRT Project Director
Wilkersond1@nku.edu