Development and Implementation of Substance Use Training for Allied and Behavioral Health Professionals: Addressing the Epidemic and Improving the Outcomes.

Allied and behavioral health professionals (ABHP) interact with clients who may be at higher risk for substance misuse or substance use disorders (SUD) due to mental health problems, relational problems, and acute/chronic pain due to injury/illness. These problems can lead to more substance misuse and affect daily life activities and overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, not enough individuals seek treatment due to stigma associated with substance use, partially because of the lack of properly trained and educated healthcare professionals. The researchers developed an interprofessional training program using the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to develop learning modules focused on understanding the science of addiction, the stigma related to addictions, and the basic interviewing and assessment techniques to support appropriate substance use intervention and referral. The goal was to prepare ABHP students to appropriately address substance use as part of their future professional practice. The SBIRT learning modules used pre/post test quizzes to collect data on the effectiveness. 140 occupational and physical therapy and mental health counselling students completed the training and the results showed a significant increase in participants knowledge supporting the value of the SBIRT training.