Feasibility and outcomes of an innovative cognitive-behavioural skill training programme for co-occurring disorders in the youth alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector

There are limited treatment options available for young drug users with comorbid mental health problems who present to alcohol and other drug (AOD) services within Australia. While there is some evidence for the use of cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) in the treatment of co-occurring disorders, CBT is rarely used to address comorbidity in the AOD sector. This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a brief cognitive-behavioural skills (BCBS) training programme for addressing comorbidity within two youth A OD services in Australia. Ten youth A OD workers completed a 2-day training programme in the BCBS. Training was evaluated using measures of trainees' cognitive-behavioural knowledge, attitudes towards mental health interventions and level of skills and confidence in each of the BCBS pre- and 6 months post-training. The BCBS training had a positive impact on the knowledge, skills and confidence of trainees and was perceived to be highly relevant and appropriate. These findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and effectiveness of the BCBS training programme for workers within the youth AOD sector.