Addictions Workforce Development

This 3-module training program for medical prescribers will address opioid use and opioid use disorder in pregnancy. During pregnancy medical providers must respond to women’s pain management and behavioral health needs while minimizing potential risks to the fetus, and this balance is further complicated when opioid use disorder is present.

The program provides case-based activities designed to help prescribers identify and respond to opioid use disorder and manage pain among pregnant patients and women patients of childbearing age.

The Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center (BMC) has designed a set of tools and resources to support organizations in understanding and addressing substance use disorders (SUDs).

The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) is a developmentally appropriate treatment for youth and young adults (12-24 years old) with substance misuse or substance use disorders.  A-CRA is an evidence based treatment developed by Chestnut Health Systems.The brief treatment model can be delivered in outpatient clinics, community settings, homes, or school based settings and typically involves weekly sessions which can include parent(s) or caregivers.  Clinicians are trained and certified t

The National Library of Medicine's Opioid Resource List provides regularly-updated links related to: 

• Understanding Addiction
• Opioid Overdose
• Opioid Drugs
• Treating Opioid Addiction
• Opioid Prescribing
• Pregnancy, Opioid use and NAS
• Recovery
• Data, Trends and Stats
• Topic-related Searches of National Library of Medicine Resources
• Selection Guidelines

The Opioid Use Disorder Education Program (OUDEP) is an accredited, free, online medical education program for the identification and management of opioid disorder. This program is designed for nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians and other healthcare professionals collaborating to treat patients with substance use disorder.

Are you finding it difficult to stop using? If you've thought about cutting down or stopping, this decision-making tool can help. If you are using narcotics, prescription pain medications, heroin, or any other opioid drug, this tool has information about some of your treatment options and ways to locate a provider who can help.

This training is A Comprehensive Introduction to Psychological Trauma for Substance Use Disorder Treatment Professionals. It training is designed to support individual and organizational efforts to provide trauma informed care.

This page is under development.

There are many reasons for addiction treatment and prevention programs to promote the health of their staff, and for providers to take care of themselves.

Organizations with a staff wellness program can have an edge in recruiting and retaining their workforce. Also, when staff in health professions model healthy behavior, it reinforces positive messages to clients; and on the contrary, when staff model unhealthy behaviors, it can have a demotivating effect on clients.

This manual (PDF), by Lyn Legere, with contributions from the Western Mass Peer Network and Sera Davidow of the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community:

• Provides best practices in peer support;
• Offers tips based on the experiences of other programs that have been studied; and
• Provides a “Nuts and Bolts” toolbox for individuals and organizations to use.

This report (PDF), from the UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care, surveys literature on peer support workers in mental health and substance use & addictions.  The authors describe the roles, reimbursement options, settings, history, and other aspects of peer work in behavioral health.