Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Adolescents (SBIRT-A) Use in a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program.

Despite psychiatric nurses' competency in identifying comorbid substance use disorders, at-risk users are often overlooked. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the National Institute on Drug Abuse support screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) as an intervention that reduces mortality, alcohol and substance use, and health care and societal costs. SBIRT for Adolescents (SBIRT-A) has the potential to provide similar outcomes during this critical developmental stage. This article describes one effective model for including SBIRT-A training in a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner program. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(2), 12-14.].