“Why not become a Behavioral Health Consultant Supporting Suboxone for Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)?”

Description: SAMSHA Waivered Physicians who actively prescribe suboxone in the community to their patients, need to utilize Behavioral Health Consultants in their work with patients who are recovering from Opioid Use Disorder. This presenter attended a 26 CEU program from the Provider Clinical Support System (PCSS) which is utilized to train medical professionals to gain a waiver to administer Suboxone to patients. In this program it was clear that to run an effective program for patients there is a need to have Behavioral Health Consultants on staff or ready for referral to assist the patients to better handle their Opioid Use Disorder and any of their other psychological issues which could impair their recovery. For this reason, this workshop is being presented in hopes that the attendees will become future Behavioral Health Consultants who want to enter this work.

CE Broker Tracking #: 20-763689

This event is sponsored by FMHCA, an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider. FMHCA NBCC Provider# 2058. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  FMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. This course is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, LMHC, LMFT, LCSW – FMHCA CE Broker #: 50-748

Learning Objectives:

1. After participating in this workshop the participants will have a better understanding of the scope and dimensions involved in Opioid Use Disorder and better be able to support and understand what Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) involves in local physicians offices.
2. After participating in this workshop the participants will have a better understanding of what is suboxone and why it is the safest medication to use in MAT and will have a better understanding why SAMHSA waivers physicians to administer suboxone to patients with OUD.
3. After participating in this workshop the participants will have a better understanding how waivered physicians’ medical offices approach patients with OUD and how they monitor the progress of their patients. Most importantly how Behavioral Health Consultants can contribute to greater successful outcomes in this process.

About the Presenter:

Since 2010, Jim has been an Instructor at the Troy University Tampa Bay Site Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program. Prior to that he has been involved in providing Behavioral Medicine interventions since 1980 when he became the Behavioral Health Consultant at United Cerebral Palsy in Tampa working with a team of Rehabilitation Specialists, Neurologists and Pediatricians for 20 years. After retiring from private practice in 2000, he worked at St Joseph’s Hospital for 5 years and also spent 7 years working in rehabilitation and nursing facilities with Primary Care physicians in an Integrated Care Model. He has authored 16 Books and 20 Training Resources which are available free on his website www.coping.us. Jim was co-founder and second President of AMHCA in 1976 and was on the founding board of the NBCC. He has been the Treasurer of FMHCA which named him Counselor Educator of the year in 2017. He is now the Director of COPING.US Training Programs (at: http://coping.us/copingustrainingprog.html), service providing Free CEU training programs for mental health professionals who are either alumni of Troy University or staff members of Troy Corporate Mental Health Agencies.