Advances in the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Adolescent Opioid Use Training

Training Features:

  • Target treatment population: adolescents/young adults and their caregivers/families
  • Training for mental health providers in prevention, assessment, and treatment of adolescent opioid use
  • One day training
  • 6 monthly 1-hour open consultation calls following the training
  • Virtual format

Full Description:

This workshop is designed to train behavioral health providers who offer services to adolescents with opioid and substance use disorders and their clinical supervisors. Those who attend this training will learn to:

  1. Identify the signs and symptoms of opioid and other drug use and misuse in the context of adolescence and understand the continuum of substance use disorder severity; 
  2. Explain why adolescence is a critical period for the development of substance use disorders; 
  3. Describe the best available assessment tools for adolescent opioid and other substance use and substance use disorders; 
  4. Understand the relation between trauma, trauma related disorders, and substance use and misuse, and the implications for evidence-based treatment; 
  5. Identify what works when it comes to the prevention and treatment of adolescent opioid and other drug use; 
  6. Implement a gold-standard opioid overdose prevention plan with adolescents; and 
  7. Understand the continuum of clinical care and recognize how to match symptom severity with the appropriate service level.

Eligibility Criteria:

If applying through the Northern Virginia Regional Consortium for Evidence-Based Practice (NVRC):

  1. Participant must be affiliated with one of the 5 Region 2 Community Services Boards (City of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun or Prince William Counties)
  2. Participant must be nominated for a slot in this training by their supervisor/CSB leadership and must meet the stated education, licensure, professional specialty, and/or experience requirements outlined by their organization for attendance.

If applying through the Fairfax Consortium for Evidence-Based Practice (FC-EBP):

  1. Applicant must currently be providing/supervising or be involved in the administration of mental health treatment services to youth(+families) residing in Fairfax County, VA. 
  2. Applicant must be licensed or license-eligible (master's degree + undergoing supervision by the date of training), to provide mental health treatment. 
    This requirement does not apply to Administrators. 
  3. Applicant must have no conflicts for and commit to attending the full duration of the training's instruction hours (lunch from 12-1pm in not included in instruction time) 
  4. Applicant must agree to keep their camera turned on and remain visible on screen for the full duration of instruction hours (if pursuing CEUs) 
  5. Applicant must be willing to complete brief survey assessments relating to their participation in this training at various timepoints, including:
    1. A Pre-Training Assessment prior to the training.
    2. A Post-Training Assessment immediately after the training ends.
    3. 1-2 Follow-up surveys during the 12 months following the training. 

Email CEBBH@gmu.edu for further information about taking this training through NVRC.