Substance Use Screening and Referral Course

Name: Substance Use Screening and Referral Skills Training Course
Availability: InStock

Recognize substance-use risks, conduct role-bound screening and connect people safely to brief support and referral.

Substance Use Screening and Referral Course

At a glance

Duration: 1 Week
Format: Classroom
Cities: Rome, Langkawi, Marbella, Amsterdam, Manama, Madrid and more
Next session: 2 – 6 November 2026, Rome
Average fee: 5,750 €

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Substance Use Screening and Referral Skills Training Course

Overview

Substance use screening and referral skills form a one-week foundation course for healthcare, community health and social-care personnel who need a substance-use screening and referral pathway. The course addresses missed risk signals through non-stigmatizing communication, ASSIST screening, brief intervention, harm reduction, withdrawal warning signs, safeguarding and recovery-oriented care coordination. Agile Leaders Training Center places substance use screening and referral within safe non-specialist practice.

Who Should Attend

Teams responsible for patient contact and early recognition of substance-use concerns
Personnel responsible for community outreach and health-support conversations
Functions responsible for social-care assessment and safeguarding
Teams responsible for care coordination and referral follow-up
Managers responsible for service pathways and staff role boundaries

The course assumes participants already interact with people who may have substance-use concerns and leaves out independent diagnosis, prescribing, psychotherapy and specialist addiction treatment.

Departments and Industries

The course supports departments and services that identify concerns, provide an initial response or coordinate access to further care.

Hospitals and primary healthcare services
Community health and outreach services
Social care and safeguarding functions
Employee health and occupational support services
Nonprofit and humanitarian support organizations
Care coordination and patient-navigation teams

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Apply non-stigmatizing language and role-boundary principles
Use ASSIST screening and structured risk prompts
Analyze intoxication, withdrawal and safeguarding warning signs
Build a brief-intervention and referral conversation
Prioritize harm-reduction, escalation and care-coordination actions
Evaluate documentation, follow-up and relapse-support pathways

Course Agenda

Day 1: Substance-Use Recognition and Safe Practice

Substance-Use Risk and Protective-Factor Map
Non-Stigmatizing Communication Language Guide
Professional Role Boundary Matrix
Consent Privacy and Information-Sharing Checklist
Recovery-Oriented Practice Principles Map

Day 2: Screening and Risk Identification

WHO ASSIST Screening Workflow
AUDIT Alcohol Screening Decision Guide
Structured Substance-Use Conversation Template
Intoxication and Withdrawal Warning-Sign Checklist
Immediate Risk and Safeguarding Triage Matrix

Day 3: Brief Response and Harm Reduction

SBIRT Brief-Intervention Pathway
Motivational Communication Question Framework
Readiness and Ambivalence Conversation Map
Harm-Reduction Action Planning Sheet
Urgent Escalation and Emergency Response Guide

Day 4: Referral and Coordinated Support

Stepped Referral Pathway Design
Warm Handoff Communication Template
Co-Occurring Needs Coordination Map
Follow-Up and Engagement Tracking Log
Relapse-Support and Recovery Resource Plan

Day 5: Screening and Referral Practice

Suggested Exercise: Non-Stigmatizing First Conversation
Suggested Exercise: ASSIST Screening and Risk Review
Suggested Exercise: Brief Intervention and Harm-Reduction Plan
Suggested Exercise: Safeguarding Escalation and Warm Handoff
Capstone Exercise: Substance-Use Screening and Referral Pathway

Practical Exercises

The course uses suggested activities based on healthcare, community outreach and social-care situations.

Suggested activity: conduct a role-bound screening conversation and record the identified risks.
Suggested activity: distinguish routine referral from urgent withdrawal or safeguarding escalation.
Suggested activity: prepare a brief intervention, harm-reduction action and warm handoff.
Suggested activity: audit a referral record for consent, follow-up and continuity gaps.

FAQs

Who does the substance use screening and referral course suit, and what does it assume?

The course suits non-specialist health and social-care personnel who encounter substance-use concerns and assumes they already hold a role involving patient, service-user or community contact.

How does substance use screening and referral differ from specialist addiction treatment training?

Substance use screening and referral focuses on recognition, structured screening, brief response, harm reduction and connection to qualified services rather than diagnosis, prescribing, psychotherapy or specialist treatment.

What is the purpose of substance-use screening in non-specialist services?

Substance-use screening supports early identification of risk, a proportionate initial response and timely referral while keeping decisions within the participant's professional role.

When should substance-use concerns be escalated urgently?

Urgent escalation applies when warning signs indicate immediate medical risk, severe withdrawal, danger to self or others, safeguarding concerns or needs beyond the staff member's competence.

How does a warm referral support addiction recovery pathways?

A warm referral uses agreed information sharing, direct service connection and planned follow-up to reduce gaps between identification and continued support.

Conclusion

Participants leave with a Substance-Use Screening and Referral Pathway containing communication prompts, screening tools, risk triage, brief-intervention steps, escalation criteria and follow-up records. The pathway makes non-specialist decisions and handoffs more consistent. It supports coordination across healthcare, community and social-care services without extending staff beyond their roles.

credits: 5 credit per day

Course Mode: full-time

Provider: Agile Leaders Training Center

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Showing 1-20 of 75 events

Location	Dates	Duration	Mode	Price
Rome	Week 45, 2026 2 – 6 November 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Langkawi	Week 45, 2026 8 – 12 November 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€6,000
Marbella	Week 45, 2026 8 – 12 November 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Amsterdam	Week 47, 2026 16 – 20 November 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Manama	Week 47, 2026 22 – 26 November 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€4,700
Madrid	Week 49, 2026 30 November – 4 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
London	Week 50, 2026 7 – 11 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Montreux	Week 50, 2026 7 – 11 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€7,500
Casablanca	Week 51, 2026 14 – 18 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€4,100
Abu Dhabi	Week 51, 2026 14 – 18 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€4,700
Porto	Week 52, 2026 21 – 25 December 2026	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Kuala Lumpur	Week 53, 2026 28 December 2026 – 1 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€5,200
Lagos	Week 53, 2027 3 – 7 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€4,100
Nairobi	Week 01, 2027 10 – 14 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€4,500
Dubai	Week 02, 2027 11 – 15 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€4,500
Barcelona	Week 03, 2027 18 – 22 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Abu Dhabi	Week 03, 2027 18 – 22 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€4,700
Milan	Week 04, 2027 25 – 29 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Lisbon	Week 04, 2027 25 – 29 January 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€5,700
Doha	Week 04, 2027 31 January – 4 February 2027	1 Week	Onsite	€5,500

Frequently asked questions

What does this course cover?

OverviewSubstance use screening and referral skills form a one-week foundation course for healthcare, community health and social-care personnel who need a substance-use screening and referral pathway. The course addresses missed risk signals through non-stigmatizing communication, ASSIST screening, brief intervention, harm reduction, withdrawal warning s…

Are training dates available?

Yes. Available dates and destinations are listed in the course dates section on this page.

How can I register?

Choose an available date on this page and complete the registration form, or send a programme enquiry.

Can I download the course brochure?

Yes. Use the brochure download link provided on this page.

Substance Use Screening and Referral Course