The SCALA TNT Sessions in Bogotá

Hosted by Nuevos Rumbos, SCALA carried out a course to train new trainers (TNT) in the SCALA training in Bogotá from 6-7  May 2019.

Eighteen highly motivated trainers from Colombia (9), Peru (5) and Mexico (4) attended the two-day capacity building sessions, aimed at enabling them to deliver the SCALA training to groups of different primary health care (PHC) professionals in their home context. The new trainers received support in terms of materials to use in the training, key aspects to keep in mind and role play practice sessions both delivering brief interventions and delivering training sessions.Eighteen highly motivated trainers from Colombia (9), Peru (5) and Mexico (4) attended the two-day capacity building sessions, aimed at enabling them to deliver the SCALA training to groups of different primary health care (PHC) professionals in their home context. The new trainers received support in terms of materials to use in the training, key aspects to keep in mind and role play practice sessions both delivering brief interventions and delivering training sessions.

Objectives and expected results of the TNT SCALA Training Course

The central aim of the TNT course is to train professionals to give SCALA training courses to primary care professionals / providers. The TNT course includes training in the short version (2 hours) and the long version (4 hours) of SCALA training, and an understanding of the differences between the two versions. New trainers had opportunities to practice first-hand both the intervention techniques and giving the training sessions.

The goal of SCALA training for professionals is to increase confidence and the ability for health professionals to detect patients who could benefit by reducing their drinking in primary care centres, offer brief advice, and refer patients with risky or problematic alcohol use and (if identified) with co-morbid depressive symptoms to specialist care.

Expected results for the primary care professionals:

After the SCALA training, participants must be able to:

• Select and identify patients with different degrees of alcohol problems and co-morbid depressive symptoms
• Provide brief advice to patients with high-risk alcohol consumption
• Provide additional information to patients with co-morbid depressive symptoms
• Offer of referral or other appropriate responses to patients with more severe symptoms of problematic alcohol use / depressive symptoms.
• Employ basic motivational techniques in detection and intervention, and identify counterproductive practices.