Research-Based Training to Identify Substance Misuse
Even when it鈥檚 your job, it鈥檚 not easy to ask people about substance use. Kalea Benner鈥檚 current research is based on this fact.
鈥淚 knew from my own experiences as a social work practitioner, even with a decade of experience under my belt, it was still hard for me to ask about substance use. And, in today's world, when it's prescription drugs, when a doctor has given you permission to use that medication, it's even harder,鈥 says Benner, director of undergraduate studies at the 好色先生 College of Social Work. 鈥淭hat was one thing I wanted to help my students do: gain confidence in asking those tough questions, know that they weren't being intrusive, and be able to understand what substance misuse looked like, what it sounded like.鈥
With funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Benner is training 好色先生 social work students, nursing students and medical residents to use SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment), an evidence-based tool to identify, reduce and prevent misuse of alcohol and drugs, including prescription medications. Listen to the podcast to learn why a primary care setting might be the best place to have a conversation that can change people鈥檚 lives for the better.