Topic Four - the place of brief interventions
The Motion: The briefer the intervention, the more experienced and skilful practitioners need to be
For…
The majority of people with alcohol and drug problems do not visit specialist addiction services but are in contact with all sorts of other services eg general practice, pharmacy, dentists, ante-natal services. The skilled application of brief interventions is highly effective in these settings.
Against...
Brief interventions are generally opportunistic, meaning they occur outside specialist services. Practitioners do not need an addiction training as they already have the skills quickly to understand and assess problems and to deliver an effective brief intervention.
This WHO report should help you clarify your thoughts on the issues raised by the debate…
The point to be made here is that some people will move on from their addiction with only brief contact with professional help; these are most likely people who are already motivated to change and have the social capital that they need. Things do not always work out as expected and, as ever, therapists need to be alert to how well their intervention is going and be flexible in response. It is best not to get bogged down with definitions, rather understand the principles.
Browse the WHO alcohol brief intervention training manual for primary care. The content refers to alcohol brief interventions but the same approach can be applied to drugs in most circumstances. This is a really excellent training guide - how much detail you want to read will depend on your role. Everybody can benefit from looking at these sections:
pp2-6 What are brief interventions; pp50-52 Practitioner concerns about their role; pp53-56 Beginning a conversation; pp57-66 Screening and feedback using the AUDIT and pp70-73 Eliciting change talk.
Read the full text of the report here…
WHO alcohol brief intervention training manual for primary care
What are your thoughts about brief interventions and how they might apply to your practice?
