Substance use is a growing problem across populations. As a DSP, you need a basic understanding of how substance use affects the people you support. This information will help you to provide support and resources to help them seek treatment and recovery.
In this course, you will explore substance use disorders, how they develop, and their impact on individuals. The course also explains your role as a direct support professional or DSP when working with individuals with substance use disorders or SUDs. You will be provided an overview of evidence-based interventions and the types of substance use treatment programs available when additional treatment may be necessary. Detailed examples will help you to apply this information in your own work.
There are approximately seven to eight million people in the US with an intellectual disability, or ID. The prevalence of alcohol and illicit drug use is lower in this population. However, people with ID are at high risk of developing substance use disorders, or SUDs (Bhatt et al., 2021). DSPs working in intellectual and developmental disability, or IDD settings need the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate supports and services to individuals with ID experiencing SUD.
The goal of this course is to provide DSPs in IDD settings with information on substance use disorders and evidence-based interventions.
Some of the skills and approaches we will cover in this course may be part of your job within your organization. Other skills or approaches may be outside the scope of your role as a DSP or outside of your agency’s policies, procedures, and practices. When in doubt, always check with your supervisor.