The referral to treatment process consists of assisting a patient with accessing specialized treatment, selecting treatment facilities, and helping navigate any barriers such as treatment cost or lack of transportation that could hinder treatment in a specialty setting.
By providing referrals to further assessment and treatment (when appropriate), providers in diverse settings can improve their capacity to serve adolescents who are using alcohol and drugs, and increase their motivation to take other steps to address their substance use. The same motivational interviewing strategies used in BI can be useful in getting adolescents who need specialty care to seek services. To make referrals successful, providers need to develop strong knowledge of and working connections with local SUD and mental health service providers that specialize in adolescent treatment. Adolescents may need specialty SUD treatment, but other services (e.g. mental health, social services) may be better suited to address their needs.
The manner in which a referral to further treatment is provided can have tremendous impact on whether the adolescent will actually access the recommended services. Using a motivational interviewing-style approach can be utilized when making referrals by helping to raise awareness and show the need for specialty care. The following are resources on Referrals to Treatment.