ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the valuable role of SBIRT in the broader substance use treatment system of care. Screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment is effective at both reaching individuals not receiving treatment in the specialty care sector, as well as integrating substance use treatment into mainstream care systems. This is important because a majority of people experiencing healthcare consequences from non-addictive levels of substance misuse may not be served in the specialty care sector. In this chapter, we provide a working definition of SBIRT contrasting it with other brief intervention models, review core components of SBIRT, discuss empirical evidence supporting the application of SBIRT in addressing substance misuse, and review evidence on best practices for training social workers to apply SBIRT. We conclude that SBIRT is an important public health model for which social workers can play a critical role in further testing and dissemination.
