BRIEF INTERVENTIONS

Brief interventions, as discussed here, comprise a single or several short (5-15 minutes) counselling sessions, that can be delivered by any health or social services worker. Their efficacy in reducing the harmful use of substances is well demonstrated and workers from all disciplines should take opportunities to deliver such interventions in the course of their every-day work. They are aimed at the patient who has not openly reported a drug or alcohol problem, rather than the individual who has actively sought help for a drug or alcohol problem. They thus comprise two main elements: identification of the problem via a screening-based approach, and the counselling intervention itself.

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Alcohol Guidelines index

The above information is copyright of Dr Bruce Trathen MBBS MRCPsych (2006). ISBN 0-9545164-0-0. The author grants permission for these guidelines to be downloaded, copied and distributed freely, but does not grant permission for their sale.