TRAINING

Online Course
(Updated 2026)

SBIRT for Health and Behavioral Health Professionals
is a free, 3-hour, self-paced online course. This training utilizes an interactive approach to learning about SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment). Participants will learn through interactive activities, case scenarios, and video demonstrations to development their knowledge, skills, and abilities in using SBIRT with people

Register today!

Continuing Education: This course offers 3 contact hours of continuing education for nursing, social work, and counseling professionals (CNE, NASW, CHES and NAADAC) for a fee of $5 per hour.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing & Health Studies is a designated provider of continuing education contact hours in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing & Health Studies is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. This program is approved by the National Association of Social Workers for 3 continuing education contact hours.

Training Videos

The training on this site was updated in 2026. The following video discusses the enhancements that were made and shares some important reasons to consider retaking this SBIRT training.

Videos included in the updated training course can also be accessed here:


Nurse practitioner talking about using SBIRT and how it can impact people in her care:

SBIRT in behavioral health treatment setting with adult talking about alcohol use

SBIRT in medical clinic with older adult talking about prescription opioid use

SBIRT with youth in school talking about marijuana use

Understanding Substance Use Disorders
is a 2-hour, self-paced online course designed for undergraduate and graduate students, behavioral health and health providers, and social services professionals who do not have a background in addictions or want a refresher. This course covers:

  • Why people start taking substances and the effects of substances.
  • The continuum of substance use from not using (abstinence) to a substance use disorder.
  • How substances affect the brain, causing a chronic, relapsing brain disease.
  • Best practices for treating substance use disorders and maintaining recovery.

The course is free for a certificate of completion or $10 for 2 hours of continuing education (CHES, NAADAC, NASW).

Register today!

This course was developed by the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Nursing and Health Studies' Collaborative to Advance Health Services, with funding by grants TI025355, TI026442, and TI024226 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

TRAINING & VIDEOS

Downloadable Curricula

Screening and Brief Intervention for Substance Use: A Health Imperative

These training slides cover the basics of SBIRT. The slides include trainer notes and are intended for a 3-hour in-person training.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the process for screening for substance use and determining a patient's level of risk.
2. Implement a brief intervention for substance use based on motivational interviewing techniques.
3. Describe strategies for effectively referring patients to treatment when appropriate.

Slides can be downloaded as a PowerPoint file here.

TRAINING & VIDEOS

Role Plays and Standardized Patient Scenarios

We encourage you to download and use our role plays and standardized patient scenarios to train students, faculty, and other health professionals.

These role play scenarios can be used for trainees to practice brief interventions with one another. Side one has information for the clinician performing the brief intervention, and side two has information for the person playing the patient.

Chris (alcohol/behavioral health)

Chris (primary care)

Jasmine (alcohol/women's health)

Sally (marijuana/alcohol/behavioral health)

Sally (marijuana/alcohol/primary care)

Shirley (alcohol/older adult)

Tiffany (opioids/referral to treatment)

Chris (dental)

Jack (dental)

Sally (dental)

These files contain all the documents needed to facilitate a standardized patient experience for trainees. This includes a training script for the actor and materials for the patient chart that the student will use (brief patient bio and completed screening forms to score prior to standardized patient encounter). The scenarios do not include name or age so they can be modified according to desired demographics.

Adult female (harmful alcohol/risky marijuana/behavioral health)

Adult female (harmful alcohol/risky marijuana)

Adult male (risky alcohol use/depression)

Adult male (risky alcohol use/stomach pain)

TRAINING & VIDEOS

Videos

This 4-video series features brief interventions for patients in the Risky, Harmful, and Severe Zones and a clinician case study about the importance of universal screening for substance use. The videos can be accessed here, and are also part of our online course, SBIRT for Health and Behavioral Health Professionals: How to Talk to Patients about Substance Use.

Jump to:

The UMKC SBIRT website was developed through funded grants TI025355 and TI026442 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This site is maintained by the Region 7 Mid-America ATTC grant 5UR1TI080208-03 from SAMHSA. Updated 2026 by the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare in partnership with UMKC/SBIRT University of Missouri-Kansas City/School of Nursing and Health Studies