Brief Interventions

Brief interventions refer to the body of practices designed to increase an individual's awareness of the impact of his or her substance use and to motivate the individual toward behavior change. On the spectrum of responses to substance use, brief interventions fall between prevention activities and treatment practices. While specific interventions vary, they have in common a five-step process for engaging substance users in productive dialogue. Brief interventions may be used to intervene with any individual using addictive substances; however, they have been found to be most effective with those who are at mild to moderate risk of substance use disorders, so many brief intervention strategies are targeted to that population. While brief interventions are distinct from motivational interviewing, the skills involved in motivational interviewing ...