F04 – Engage, Assess, Assist: Effective Initial Encounters in 30 Minutes

Summary

This workshop will introduce learners to three essential skills needed for brief primary care behavioral health encounters. The skills include rapid engagement, a focused assessment, and brief intervention. The session will begin with an overview of the relative importance of each skill to primary care encounters. We will introduce clinical scenarios in which a clinician might need to place more, or less emphasis on one skill or another depending on the context and the patient’s presenting concerns. Learners will be challenged to consider their own practice preferences and behaviors and to consider the relative importance they place on each of the core skills discussed in this training. Next the workshop will include approximately 20 minutes of small group work applying this framework to case vignettes. Participants will be asked to discuss how they would balance the emphasis on engaging, assessing, and intervening. The vignettes will represent patients with diverse medical and behavioral needs. Finally, we will introduce participants to a self-assessment tool that BH clinicians can use to reflect on their use of these skills after a clinical encounter. This tool will be discussed, and learners will be asked to reflect on how this tool can support their own practice as well to help train others. Draft Agenda 0 – 5 minutes. Introductions and agenda 5 – 25 minutes. Lecture with examples that illustrate balance between engagement, assessment, and intervention. 25 – 45 minutes. Small group discussion of 2-3 vignettes. 45 – 55 minutes. Review a tool for monitoring your own use of engagement, assessment, and intervention. Discuss use of tool for onboarding new providers as well as supporting new providers. 55- 60 minutes. Wrap up and final questions