1-2 hours, depending on your requirements

This workshop is suitable for workers from the AOD, Youth, Mental Health, Corrections Health, Allied Health Services, school counsellors, GPs and those who work within the Criminal Justice Sector. This workshop is suited for 15 – 20 participants.

The workshop will introduce participants to the recently developed guidelines for the management of cannabis-related problems (Copeland, Frewen & Elkins).

These aim to provide clinicians with a reference point for skills required to intervene with cannabis-related problems. This workshop is suitable for practitioners who work in a variety of settings where clients present with cannabis use disorders. Such practitioners may be confronted with a range of presentations of cannabis use disorder including some complex clinical profiles such as mental health symptoms and acute behavioural disturbances which may include psychosis and aggression. Participants will be made familiar with the various aspects of the guidelines including screening, assessment, brief psycho-education and interventions, and will receive a free copy of the guidelines.

If you would like further information about NCPIC Workplace Training, please contact John Redmond on 02-9385 0451 or email training@ncpic.org.au

2 hours for experienced CBT and AOD clinicians
4-6 hours comprehensive workshop*

This interactive style workshop is for a maximum of 15 people and is specifically designed for counsellors who treat people with cannabis problems or cannabis use disorder.

Training will cover a brief (2 or 3 sessions) motivational and cognitive-behavioural evidence-based intervention which is designed for young cannabis users, irrespective of their treatment seeking status and could also be used with adults in order to increase their motivation towards change. This intervention is primarily targeted at ambivalent clients.

The most suitable workers would be counsellors, those who work opportunistically and anyone who needs a structured evidence-based intervention that works with young people who have cannabis use problems. You will be taken through the structured ACCU intervention process and familiarised with the various assessment and feedback tools used and furnished with material to deliver the intervention.

It is recommended that this training starts with a one hour information session which will provide participants with up-to-date information on cannabis.

Prerequisites – Workshop participants will need:

• a good understanding of Motivational Enhancement Techniques
• good counselling skills

The objective of the workshop is to enable participants to:

• increase awareness in clients who present with cannabis use
• to motivate clients to move towards change
• to deliver an evidence-based Motivational Enhancement Intervention with their own client population

*The amount of time is related to the level of knowledge and experience referred to in the pre requisites.

2-3 hour session

The objective of this workshop is to provide participants with up-to-date information and research on cannabis use and related harms. This particular workshop is suitable for a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 30 people.

It is appropriate for any person who has contact with cannabis users including parents, AOD workers, youth workers, those in the justice system including police, those who work in schools, allied health workers and mental health workers. It will assist with the acquisition of knowledge and skills which promote awareness of cannabis-related harms and advise those clients within each of the various sectors.

Topics covered include: an overview of NCPIC, cannabis potency, cannabis statistics, adolescent cannabis use, health and social effects of cannabis, cannabis and mental health, legal aspects of cannabis use and more.

Whole day, comprehensive workshop

Quik FIX is a brief motivational interviewing intervention targeting mental health and cannabis use issues. Quik FIX follows best practice guidelines for the integrated treatment of co-occurring mental health and cannabis use issues, by simultaneously addressing both issues, and their interrelationship. It was originally designed for allied health professionals as an early intervention program for young people with emerging depression and substance use problems in primary care settings.

By the end of the workshop participants will be familiar with:

• addressing the concerns of young people presenting with comorbidity of cannabis abuse and mental health;
• delivering the Quik FIX program to a young person which is a one to four session, brief motivational interviewing intervention for depression or anxiety and substance use issues in young people;
• improving engagement and gaining basic motivational interviewing principles and strategies; all of which aim to
• increase the likelihood of the young person engaging in and attending future treatment.

Who is the workshop for?

• Suitable for anyone who works with mental health clients who use cannabis and need a structured intervention. This includes psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, general practitioners, practice nurses and other allied health professionals.

Prerequisites – Workshop participants will need:

• A good understanding of motivational interviewing and CBT techniques is highly recommended

Post training requirements

• Participants will need to be willing to participate in a three month telephone/web follow up

Whole day

In order to sustain and disseminate appropriate NCPIC education and training we have developed and will implement a ‘Train the Trainer’ model.

The aim of the ‘Train the Trainer’ model is to increase the ability of a selected group of clinicians skilled in the delivery of motivational enhancement and cognitive behavioural therapies to successfully deliver and train others in two evidenced-based interventions. These clinicians will then constitute the core of a sustainable model to successfully deliver ‘Quitting Cannabis 1 – 6 sessions’ and/or ‘Adolescent Cannabis Check-up’.

We are inviting skilled clinicians, particularly those in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) field and educators to enrol in the workshops. This is a great opportunity to build capacity within your organisation and to improve clinical skills, as the workshops are aligned to core competencies. Furthermore, becoming involved in this sustainable model will not only enhance the skills of AOD and other professionals in the workforce, it also ensures those with cannabis use disorder are receiving the best, evidence-based treatment currently available. Our expectation of the ‘Train the Trainer’ participants are that:

• they will have a sound knowledge of or will be skilled in the delivery of motivational enhancement and cognitive behavioural therapies
• they will deliver the intervention/s to their current clients suffering from cannabis use disorder
• they will provide ongoing expert advice, support, mentoring and will be consultants to others with regards to these interventions, within their region or workplace

To ensure sustainability of the intervention/s, each participant will be required to deliver:

• a minimum of either one workshop or
• to train other workers in one or both of the interventions