BI

Brief Intervention Workshop

An Approach to Working with Substance Using Adolescents

Brief Intervention is a short-term intervention program that consists of 2-4 counseling sessions with adolescent youth or young adults who are experimenting with tobacco, alcohol, and/or other drug use, but are not yet dependent. The program is designed for use by school counselors, nurses, social workers, educators, school administrators, paraprofessionals, and other youth-serving adults who are working in school, government, community, or faith-based settings. The model integrates evidence-based approaches, including the Stages of Change Model, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing, to meet the needs of substance-using individuals.

The Brief Intervention training workshop covers six instructional modules that outline the theoretical basis for the intervention and provide instruction on how to deliver each counseling session. The interactive training program is delivered in a virtual training format, with in-person training workshops offered on a more limited basis.

Brief Intervention is a product of EMT Associates, Inc. The curriculum was originally developed by EMT founder, Joël L. Phillips, and Pam Smithstan, MFT, based on the work of Ken Winters, Ph.D. Materials have been updated and refined by Ira Sachnoff.

What People Are Saying

Wonderful training! Very well thought out, organized, and learned a lot! Appreciated the breakout rooms and the chance to practice with groups members.”

Excellent training. It was relevant, eye opening, easy to follow. The activities, video clips and level of engagement was excellent.

Enjoyed the training and learned so much including ways of saying/implementing info to students and parents. I think this will help a lot with communication.”

“Ira was a great trainer with a wealth of knowledge. He was engaging and open to questions. He provided information that was understandable and applicable. The training was very applicable to the population we serve and am looking forward to meeting with our admin to see how we can implement on campus.”

Thank you for the amazing training, Ira and team!! I learned so much in these two days. It will definitely help my counseling work in working with teens. Thank you for your enthusiasm, knowledge, and creating a safe and nonjudgmental space for us to learn.”

Very thorough for the time allotted. Ira is extremely knowledgeable with so much experience to boot. I really learned so much from this training. Highly recommend!!
  • About Brief Intervention

    Learn about the Brief Intervention approach and the supporting evidence base.

  • Get Trained

    Get details on how to set up a Brief Intervention training workshop for your organization.

  • Member Materials

    Please contact us to access support materials and handouts and resources.

- I want our whole district to participate in this training!! We have MFTs, MH Professionals, PBIS Specialists. . . they ALL need this training!!!

- I truly enjoyed this training. Trainings can be boring and exhausting at times, but this wasn't at all. I was engaged and interested from start to finish. I think that Ira is fantastic, he was super informative but also fun to listen to. Would absolutely attend another seminar with him.

- I’m so grateful for this training. It is exactly what we needed to address the ongoing AOD needs of our site!

- I want our whole district to participate in this training!! We have MFTs, MH Professionals, PBIS Specialists. . . they ALL need this training!!! - I truly enjoyed this training. Trainings can be boring and exhausting at times, but this wasn't at all. I was engaged and interested from start to finish. I think that Ira is fantastic, he was super informative but also fun to listen to. Would absolutely attend another seminar with him. - I’m so grateful for this training. It is exactly what we needed to address the ongoing AOD needs of our site!

Evaluation, Management, and Training Associates, Inc. is a woman-owned small business (WOSB) specializing in applied policy research, evaluation, and training provision for the public health, education, social service, and criminal justice fields. Our corporate mission is to promote and facilitate the use of science-based information to improve education, health and social policy, and to enhance the resolution of public problems.

EMT was established in 1981 in Sacramento, CA and currently operates corporate offices in Nashville, Tennessee and Folsom, California.

About EMT