What Does This Course Contain?

This course provides valuable information about legislation that permits office-based buprenorphine treatment, the science of addiction, the mechanism of buprenorphine, patient selection issues, and various patient, counseling, and therapeutic issues.

Module 1: Changes in the Law Affecting Office-Based Opioid-Addiction Treatment. There have been recent changes in the Federal law regarding office-based treatment of opioid addiction. Recent changes in Federal law permit certain physicians to prescribe approved narcotic medications for the treatment of opioid addiction. This module reviews valuable information about the practical application of these changes to the Federal law, including physician requirements, counseling requirements, and counseling services.

Module 2: The Science of Addiction. This module focuses on the science of addiction and the ways in which buprenorphine treatment for opioid dependence is part of that endeavor. This module reviews changing concepts about addiction and treatment, opioid addiction and the brain, buprenorphine as a science-based treatment, outcomes from buprenorphine research, and bringing science-based treatments to clinical practice.

Module 3: What is Buprenorphine? How Does it Work? To understand how buprenorphine works, it is necessary to understand basic information regarding opioids and their effects. This module provides information on opioids and their effects, and the effects, efficacy, and safety of buprenorphine.

Module 4: Patient Selection. Conducting assessments of suitability for office-based treatment of opioid addiction using buprenorphine is critical. This module reviews the importance of understanding patient selection, important patient selection questions, establishing the diagnosis of opioid addicted, exceptions to the diagnosis of opioid addiction, appropriateness for office-based treatment, lower likelihood for office-based treatment, and medical contraindications for office-based treatment.

Module 5: General Issues for Counseling Drug-Addicted Patients. In the treatment of drug-addicted patients, there are several issues about which counselors should have a strong understanding. Accordingly, this modules reviews information regarding patient confidentiality regulations, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), co-occurring disorders, and urine testing.

Module 6: Counseling Issues. This module addresses four critical counseling issues relevant to counseling patients who are taking buprenorphine: orienting buprenorphine patients to recovery, recovery and pharmacotherapy, 12-Step meetings, and counseling approaches and topics for buprenorphine patients.

Module 7: Buprenorphine-Related Patient Management Issues. This module addresses counselors' responses to patients' survival skills that are maladaptive during recovery. It reviews ways in which counselors can help patients who want to stop using buprenorphine by conducting readiness to discontinue evaluations. It examines ways in which counselors should prepare for and respond to problematic patient behaviors. Finally, this module reviews the importance of a healthy counselor-physician partnership.