Creating Relevant Excellence: SBIRT Training in Partnership with the County's Public Behavioral Health and Recovery Division and the School of Social Work

Background and Purpose:

This presentation represents work from an ongoing collaboration effort in work force development between King County (WA) Department of Behavioral Health and Recovery Division and the University of Washington School of Social Work The focus of the collaborative effort is to keep substance use and prevention curriculum in pace with the changing community and growing needs of the local publicly funded behavioral health community where students often work.  With grant support from SAMHSA, we have developed and implemented an interdisciplinary (social work, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry) training program for SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment).  SBIRT has demonstrated significant impacts particularly on reducing alcohol related health and behavior problems, primarily in adult populations.  SBIRT is considered an evidence based practice from SAMHSA, NIAAA and CSWE encourages social workers to adopt SBIRT in their practices.

This session will provide an overview of how the SBIRT training program has been integrated into the MSW curriculum and practicum experience, provide successes and challenges with implementing SBIRT in practicum placements and summarize findings from student trainees at six month follow-up.  The trainee experience includes classroom training in motivational interviewing and the SBIRT model, using screening tools such as the DAST or AUDIT, role play, a seminar to provide both drug and alcohol related content and case presentations using SBIRT and practicum placements where trainees can practice using SBIRT.  To date we have had 46 trainees.

 

Methods and Findings:

Students completed baseline surveys, post survey (100%), 30 day (100%) and 6 month follow-up surveys (100%). Surveys included items about attitudes, knowledge and use of SBIRT. Overall, student’s knowledge and skills in SBIRT interventions increased as well as their attitudes toward using SBIRT.  In addition, MSW trainees used an SBIRT encounter reporting form on a weekly basis in their practicum electronic survey.  Response rates have been high—91-100% each week during the first quarter.. In the initial quarter of data collection, 12 MSW trainees spent about 97 combined hours screening 252 patients.  Of these, 90 included a negotiated interview and 68 patients received referrals to treatment

 

Conclusions and Implications:

 Having skills related to addressing substance use disorders is critical for social workers.  SBIRT training and education provides important an evidence based practice for students who will be entering the workforce.  This collaborative effort between the county and the UW School of Social work demonstrates the importance of ensuring a strong workforce to address issues of substance abuse.