TPC-Journal-V5-Issue4

The Professional Counselor /Volume 5, Issue 4 461 The SBIRT Interdisciplinary Training Model This university’s SBIRT interdisciplinary training format is multifaceted, including online and real-time instruction and practice experiences. All family practice and internal medicine residents and master’s-level graduate students in the participating disciplines are expected to sign a contract that they will participate in all required aspects of the training experience. SBIRT training is offered in four main areas: (1) screening for substance use disorders, (2) motivational interviewing skills, (3) brief intervention, and (4) referral to treatment. Training includes providing conceptual information (e.g., substance use and motivational interviewing), teaching the use of assessment tools to establish risk or levels of substance misuse, and promoting skill development. Modeling and skill practice with feedback from faculty are important components of this training. The first SBIRT training cohort started with first-year master’s-level graduate students and medical residents. The counseling students involved in the project were in their second semester in the program and concurrently enrolled in a practicum course. For counseling students, the training began with an orientation (counseling program pre-module orientation) to the SBIRT training experience. In the orientation, counseling faculty offered students an overview of the various components of the training project, outlining specific expectations and completion dates. Beginning in the project’s second year, the orientation included the film, The Hungry Heart (O’Brien, 2013), which explores the depth of prescription drug and opiate addiction in our home state. This film was followed by a discussion regarding the need for SBIRT screening and referral skills. While counseling students are required to participate in this orientation, the option to attend the session also is open to participants from other disciplines. The next component of the training, conducted online, is required for all participants (faculty and students), regardless of discipline. The online training includes four instructional modules (see Figure 1) and requires a commitment of approximately four to six hours. The first of these online training modules offers an introduction to the SBIRT process and includes data regarding alcohol and substance use. This information builds a case for the need for SBIRT screening and referral practices. The other modules provide instruction in the areas of conducting a brief screening intervention, motivational interviewing, and making appropriate referrals. Each module begins with instruction in a particular area and requires completion of a test before the participant is issued a completion certificate. The certification process was included as a means of ensuring that all participating students complete the required didactic training and tests prior to participating in the interdisciplinary clinical training portions of the program. At the end of the online training period, counseling students are required to attend a 2-hour practice review (counseling program post-module review and skills practice) session (see Figure 1). A similar post-module review and practice session is offered by other SBIRT project faculty for medical residents and to promote interdisciplinary training; each discipline-specific post-module review is open to participants from other disciplines. In this training, counseling faculty offer a brief review of the information provided in the modules, focusing primarily on the steps of the brief negotiated interview (alcohol and substance use screening) and the motivational interview. Participants engage in role-plays to practice these skills and are provided with instruction and feedback by the counseling faculty.