Alaska will train behavioral health providers on substance use screening in November

The Alaska Division of Behavioral Health will train providers in November to spot substance use concerns and encourage healthy behavior change, the division announced Thursday.

The three-part virtual series covers Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) and motivational interviewing.

Alaska recorded 1,973 drug overdose deaths between 2015 and 2024, according to the state's 2024 Drug Overdose Mortality Update. That included 339 deaths in 2024, down 5% from the year before, Alaska News reported Aug. 23.

The state has funded training in both methods before. Its Alaska Opioid Response 2022-2023 report lists staff training at two home-visiting programs, Cook Inlet Tribal Council and Alaska Family Services.

Each part of the new series is offered twice. Part 1, an introduction to SBIRT, runs Nov. 4 from 9 to 10:30 am or Nov. 6 from 1:30 to 3 pm. Part 2, on motivational interviewing, runs at the same hours Nov. 11 or Nov. 13.

Part 3 is hands-on skills practice, open only to providers who attended one of the motivational interviewing sessions. It runs Nov. 18 from 9 to 11 am and Nov. 20 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Each session is limited to eight people, and providers register by emailing the division with a preferred date.