Training a diverse workforce to address the opioid crisis

ABSTRACT

This article describes an interprofessional workforce development program that aims to train current and future behavioral health professionals in culturally- and developmentally-appropriate, integrated care for adolescents and transitional-aged youth. This federally-funded program is implemented in one region in the United States because the location has a substantial shortage of providers. The program meets the local needs by training a diverse group of master-level graduate students and community partners on evidence-based practices for substance misuse, including opioid misuse, and common mental health conditions. This article includes recommendations on key aspects to include in behavioral health workforce development programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Substance use disorders
• cultural competence
• motivational interviewing
• team-based learning
• social work
• clinical mental health counseling

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01DA045733. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.