This fall, Nebraska Medicine – University Health Center expanded its services to include a new Alcohol Psychoeducation Workshop for students struggling with alcohol or other drug use.
The workshop is a four-hour course that educates students about the potential negative outcomes of drinking and provides strategies to help them remain safe and avoid trouble if deciding to drink.
Faculty and staff are encouraged to promote this service with students. To refer a student, have him or her call the Health Center at 402.472.5000 and ask to be placed in the next Alcohol Psychoeducation Workshop. The student must make his or her own appointment.
Although the workshop is a diversion service, it is open to any student genuinely interested in avoiding negative outcomes associated with their substance use, whether or not they have an alcohol-related charge or alcohol use violation.
Counseling and Psychological Services created the service with content specific for Nebraska students. Although there are similar courses in the community, most do not address the unique challenges our students face or focus on critical thinking and assertiveness skills. Additionally, the Alcohol Psychoeducation Workshop has a harm reduction approach rather than the abstinent-based approach common in similar community courses. Harm reduction has consistently proven to be more effective in reducing substance use for college students, according to the workshop’s creator, CAPS Licensed Psychologist Brigham Scott.
The Health Center launched the service in September. Scott estimates total attendance will reach upwards of 100 by the end of the academic year.
“We anticipate this being a very popular and utilized program,” Scott said.
For questions about the workshop, contact Scott at brscott@nebraskamed.com.
More details at: https://health.unl.edu/caps/alcohol