Website Guide

This site has all the resources you need to start the OPT-IN program at your site, including:

• Training manuals and videos to learn how to screen patients and conduct the brief intervention to improve opioid safety and reduce opioid related overdoses.
• Resources to train staff on overdose prevention and opioid safety, along with Naloxone administration, and other relevant resources.

To learn more about the training that is available to you and your site, click on the Intervention Training button. In the “Intervention Training” section, you will find manuals and videos that will walk you through all the steps of the initial screening questionnaire and the intervention. It will also provide some videos on basic Motivational Interviewing Skills.

To learn about the resources to help you and your team become more familiar with opioid risk and overdose prevention and response, go to the Resources page. Some materials are specific to staff, while others can be referenced with your clients.

What is Harm Reduction?

Harm Reduction (HR) is a pragmatic public health strategy that attempts to reduce negative effects for people who use substances.  Thereby, HR reduces the risk for both the individual and the community.  It was first implemented during the 1980's, in the form of a needle exchange program.  The principles that make up the harm reduction strategy are the basis for the OPT-IN intervention which utilizes Motivational Interviewing.  More information on Harm Reduction can be found in our Overdose Prevention Knowledge - Harm Reduction section. 

What is Motivational Interviewing?

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative conversation style for strengthening a person’s own motivation and commitment to change. It was developed by Drs. William Miller and Stephen Rollnick in the 1980’s. More information on Motivational Interviewing can be found in our Intervention Training section.

What do the training materials include?

Our team has developed training videos to supplement basic motivational interviewing training and to aid in learning how to deliver the OPT-IN intervention.

How do I learn how to use the OPT-IN program and intervention?

We recommend the following training plan to ensure you feel comfortable and ready to have this conversation with a client. Feel free to go back and reference these materials regularly.

If you are getting stuck or have a question, check out the training manual and the training videos to see if there are helpful tips and ideas to work through the scenario you are struggling with. If you don’t find the answer in those locations, reach out to OPT-IN staff.

This training and intervention take a lot of practice to become familiar with it and efficient in the conversation. The training manual and videos are very detailed to help you become comfortable and efficient with tailoring the content to your client. We recommend at least one role play, and the more you do, the better your sessions will turn out.

1. Motivational Interviewing basics - We recommend starting with the Motivational Interviewing videos. If you are already familiar with MI, then you can start at Step II.
   • The following are the MI basics we recommend you know: MI Spirit, Open Questions, Affirmations, Reflections, Summaries, Rulers, Elicit-Provide-Elicit, and Change Talk
   • You may have previous MI training where you learned these items
   • You may review the MI videos and materials available under Intervention Training
2. Learn the Intervention - The Intervention Manual goes into great detail on each section of the intervention, along with suggested ways to explore that topic. The full session and section specific videos provide role plays for you to watch and refer to throughout your use of the OPT-IN intervention.
   • We recommend reading through the intervention manual to better understand the broad idea behind the intervention conversation, along with details on each section.
   • Full Session videos provide role plays for two different client scenarios
   • Section Specific videos have worksheets to help guide you through sections of the intervention and common issues you may run into
3. Role play, at least once, with a coworker to practice how you would personalize the language and smoothly transition from one section to another
4. After you have a conversation with a client, we have note templates to help you think through future conversations and any issues you may have run into.

How do I use the resource materials?

Overdose Prevention: in this section you can find materials from the CDC, Open Society Foundations, the Harm Reduction Coalition, and a local opioid overdose group on how to prevent, recognize, assist and respond during an overdose.
Naloxone Materials - For Clients: this section is designed to help clients have access to the tools they need to prevent and be prepared to respond if an opioid overdose occurs.  Including, videos on how to respond using naloxone, a brochure and overdose tips from the CDC, as well as Michigan's legislation on naloxone distribution.
Naloxone Materials - For Staff: this section is designed to help staff gain more in depth knowledge on the opioid epidemic, and the use of naloxone.
Community Resources: find an ample amount of resources in your community such as medication take back and needle exchange locaitons, as well as many more resources in your area.
Crisis Resources: if you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis use these tools to help