Lesson 1Timeline follow-back, standard drinks, cocaine use metrics, polysubstance explorationThis lesson covers timeline follow-back methods, standard drink measures, cocaine consumption metrics, and techniques to chart polysubstance use patterns over time for risk assessment, diagnosis, and tracking treatment progress with real-world clinical cases.
Timeline follow-back interview techniqueDefining and calculating standard drink unitsCocaine quantity, purity, and route metricsDocumenting polysubstance patterns over timeUsing metrics to monitor treatment responseLesson 2Psychiatric history and symptom review techniques for mood, anxiety, psychosisThis lesson details systematic psychiatric history-taking in addiction settings, covering mood, anxiety, psychosis, and sleep issues, with focus on distinguishing substance-related symptoms, using screening tools, and evaluating functional impact and risks.
Eliciting past and current psychiatric diagnosesScreening for mood and anxiety in substance usersRecognizing psychosis and substance-induced statesAssessing sleep, cognition, and functional impactUsing brief validated psychiatric screenersLesson 3Social determinants: housing, employment, legal issues, insurance and accessThis lesson examines social determinants of health like housing, jobs, legal matters, insurance, and care access, and demonstrates integrating these into treatment plans, advocacy efforts, and connections to community support services.
Housing stability and living environmentEmployment, income, and financial stressorsLegal involvement and criminal justice issuesInsurance coverage and care access barriersLinking patients to social and legal resourcesLesson 4Detailed substance use history: quantity, frequency, pattern, routes, binge/withdrawal signsThis lesson teaches gathering detailed substance use histories covering onset, amounts, frequency, methods, bingeing, withdrawal symptoms, and past treatments, plus spotting tolerance, loss of control, and DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorders.
Chronology of first use and progressionAssessing quantity, frequency, and routesIdentifying binge and high-risk use patternsScreening for tolerance and withdrawal signsLinking history to DSM-5 SUD criteriaLesson 5Medication, medical comorbidity, and over-the-counter/substance replacement historyThis lesson reviews collecting histories on medications, medical conditions, over-the-counter drugs, and substitutes, spotlighting interactions, liver and heart risks, pain control, and impacts on medication-based treatment strategies.
Current and past prescribed medicationsMedical comorbidities relevant to addictionOver-the-counter and herbal substance useNicotine, cannabis, and self-directed replacementDrug–drug interactions and safety concernsLesson 6Working with limited collateral and building engagement with marginalised patientsThis lesson explores tactics for limited collateral info and engaging marginalised patients, using motivational interviewing, harm minimisation, rapport-building, and tackling distrust, stigma, and systemic hurdles for ongoing care.
Assessing reliability of self-report dataUsing motivational interviewing micro-skillsHarm reduction framing in early encountersBuilding trust amid stigma and mistrustPlanning follow-up with unstable contactLesson 7Step-by-step addiction-focused interview flow (presenting complaint to collateral history)This lesson maps a step-by-step addiction interview from chief complaint and substance history through medical, psychiatric, social, and collateral details, stressing structure, adaptability, and time efficiency across varied clinical contexts.
Clarifying presenting complaint and goalsSequencing substance, medical, and psych historyIntegrating social, legal, and functional domainsStrategic use of collateral and recordsTime management in brief clinical encountersLesson 8Trauma, intimate partner violence, and safety screening (suicide, homicide, child protection)This lesson covers trauma-informed screening for trauma, partner violence, suicide, homicide risks, and child harm, focusing on safety plans, required reporting, records, and teamwork with protection and crisis services.
Principles of trauma-informed questioningScreening for intimate partner and family violenceSuicide and homicide risk assessment stepsIdentifying and reporting child abuse or neglectSafety planning and crisis resource linkageLesson 9Structured opening, consent, and establishing rapport in trauma-exposed populationsThis lesson centres on starting interviews, securing consent, and fostering rapport with trauma-affected patients via collaborative, non-judgemental talk, firm boundaries, and cultural sensitivity to build trust and avoid re-traumatising.
Structuring the opening minutes of the visitExplaining purpose, limits of confidentialityObtaining informed consent for sensitive topicsUsing empathic, nonjudgmental languageCultural humility and managing power dynamics
