Overview
Brief Interventions (BI) are a cost-effective tool with potentially very long lasting outcomes, and are ideal when working with people to create health behaviour change or encourage and help sustain existing change processes. When performed well, brief interventions are an invaluable tool for any worker within the wider Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug sector and Community Service space.
Brief Intervention Scaffold Training offers an interactive, evidence-based opportunity to build knowledge and skills for Brief Interventions based on the Tasmanian Alcohol and Other Drug Brief Intervention Framework 2018.
The Process
The Brief Intervention Scaffold Training is now available online. Interested participants can view upcoming workshops and register to attend by clicking here to visit our Online Training page.
All attendees receive a hard copy of the Brief Intervention Scaffold.
Program Aims
- To increase awareness of the efficacy of Brief Interventions and surrounding knowledge
- To increase the skills of workers performing Brief Interventions in an evidence-based, ethical manner
Program Outcomes
- An increased knowledge of Brief Interventions, and the methodology, evidence and impact of BI;
- An increased awareness and understanding of how people change, react to stress, and learn and reinforce skills, habits and addictions;
- Increased skills in providing Very Brief Interventions based on best practice evidence;
- Increased skills and understanding of stage-matching and providing stage-matched interventions
Background
Brief Interventions are effective and low-cost interventions with potentially long lasting outcomes for health behaviour change.
One study concluded that Brief Interventions provided by primary care workers are effective at reducing alcohol consumption by an average of four standard drinks per week. (Swan, Sciacchitano and Berends, 2008) The cost incurred [to Australian society] as a result of alcohol use is estimated to exceed $6 billion AUD annually; in contrast, the cost of a brief intervention is estimated at between $19-$22 AUD per person, or between $4-$12 million AUD annually. (Wutzke, Shiell, Gomel and Conigrave, 2001)
The 2017 Tasmanian Brief Intervention Survey (Drug Education Network, 2018) listed ‘Lack of access to brief intervention training‘ as the number one barrier to providing brief interventions in practice, and ‘Lack of confidence in providing brief interventions‘ as the number five barrier. These results were also reflected in consultation with the Promotion Prevention and Early Intervention (PPEI) Advisory Group.
For more information about the background of this training, see the Brief Intervention Scaffold Project page.