Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for Student Affairs
Includes a Live Web Event on 06/24/2026 at 1:00 PM (EDT)
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- Non-member - $595
- Member - $495
Dates: June 1- June 24, 2026
Description
This course equips Student Affairs professionals with the knowledge and practical skills needed to implement Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) with college students. Participants will explore current research on substance use patterns among college students, including alcohol, cannabis, prescription medications, and other substances, with attention to developmental pathways and risk trajectories. The course introduces validated screening tools such as the AUDIT and CUDIT-R, with hands-on guidance for scoring, interpretation, and determining appropriate next steps.
Grounded in the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Motivational Interviewing, the training emphasizes understanding readiness, navigating ambivalence, and responding to resistance in nonjudgmental, student-centered ways. Participants will practice core motivational interviewing skills, including open-ended questioning, reflective listening, affirmations, and eliciting change talk. The course also focuses on using the elicit–provide–elicit framework to discuss screening results and engage students in meaningful conversations about behavior change. Participants will learn how to collaborate with students to identify motivators, brainstorm solutions, and develop realistic, individualized plans of action. Finally, the course highlights the role of referrals within SBIRT, emphasizing cross-campus collaboration, appropriate boundaries, and effective connection to on- and off-campus resources.
Learning Outcomes
- Define Screening and Brief Intervention (SBI)
- Describe screening tools for alcohol and cannabis
- Demonstrate proficiency in scoring the Alcohol Use Disorder Inventory Tool (AUDIT) and the Cannabis Use Disorder Inventory Tool (CUDIT-R)
- Describe at least 2 components of Motivational Interviewing
- Explain the role of referrals in SBI
- Provide an example of Elicit, Provide, Elicit
- Provide the steps in creating a working plan with a student
Course Prices
Member: $495
Non-member: $595
Live Session
Live sessions are 60 minutes long and mandatory for successful course completion.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 1:00 p.m.
Whitney O'Regan, EdD
Director, Safety and Prevention Initiatives
NASPA
Whitney Platzer O’Regan, Ed.D., serves as the senior director of prevention and safety initiatives, under the Health, Safety & Well-being team at NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Dr. O’Regan received her doctorate in educational leadership and policy from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University where her doctoral research focused on student sense of belonging and engagement through a public health lens. Dr. O’Regan has over twelve years of experience working to reduce high risk substance misuse on college campuses with functional area expertise in student affairs, policy, student conduct, crisis response, peer education, and health promotion.
Module Overview
Week 1: Understanding Substance Use with College Students
Understanding Substance Use with College Students provides an evidence-based overview of alcohol, cannabis, and other substance use among college students, emphasizing developmental patterns, motivations for use and non-use, risk trajectories, and implications for Student Affairs practice.
Week 2: Understanding Change and Influencing Motivation at the Individual Level
Understanding Change and Influencing Motivation at the Individual Level introduces how behavior change occurs over time and equips Student Affairs professionals with motivational interviewing strategies to assess readiness, navigate ambivalence and resistance, and support student-driven change in a respectful, nonjudgmental way.
Week 3: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment focuses on the practical application of SBIRT in Student Affairs, guiding participants through the use of validated screening tools, student-centered brief interventions, and appropriate referral practices to support early identification, behavior change, and connection to campus and community resources.
Live Session: Wednesday 6/24 @ 1:00 p.m. EST
** Each module is one week.
Credit information Coming Soon.