Journal of substance abuse treatment
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J Subst Abuse Treat · Jul 2018
Implementing SBIRT for adolescents within community mental health organizations: A mixed methods study.
Many adolescents with substance use problems remain untreated, leading to increased risk for the development of substance use disorders. One response is Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)-an evidence-based, early intervention that can be tailored for adolescents. This mixed methods study examined the implementation of SBIRT across 27 community mental health organizations (CMHOs) serving adolescents. ⋯ Nearly half of the adolescents scored positive for problematic substance use demonstrating the unmet need among this population. Future implementation efforts should focus on coordinating program demands, securing funding, integrating SBIRT into clinical workflows, retaining staff, and improving referral to treatment processes.