August 10th, August 17th, August 24th

11:00 AM – 12:30PM (MT) 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM (CT) 1:00 PM -2:30 PM (ET)

Text messages have become a powerful tool for promoting health and wellness. They serve as effective reminders of health appointments, medication compliance and other healthy behaviors. In addition, text messages can support and enhance substance use treatment outcomes. This series will show how to use automated text messages to help people remain in treatment and engage with recovery support services. A manual created by Dr. Scott Walters along with the Mountain Plains ATTC staff, Using Text Messages to Improve Substance Use Treatment Outcomes Step-by-Step Guide, will serve as the guide for the series, offering practical tips and techniques for using automated text messages to help people stay committed and involved in treatment. Please contact krenwick@casat.org for questions.

Session 1 (August 10) is an overview webinar that reviews best practices for developing and sending automated text messages; describes the language and tone of effective text messages; and gives examples of text messages for both individual and group sessions.

Session 2 (August 17th) & Session 3 (August 24) will include instruction and hands-on practice on how to develop automated texting sequences using a reliable service. At the end of Session 3, participants will have a sequence of messages that can be used in treatment or recovery support settings.

Target Audience:
Behavioral Health, Substance Use Disorders, Mental Health, and Recovery Support Service Providers in: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and American Indian Tribes and Communities.

Takeaways:

·    Recall ways that text messages have been used to improve substance use treatment outcomes

·    Describe “best practices” for text message tone and framing

·    Understand how to use a text message provider to develop and send text messages

·    Develop a text message sequence to support individual and/or group treatment services

Continuing Education:

Each session is worth up to 1.5 CEUs for a possible total of 4.5 CEUs.

** Participants MUST complete Session 1 to receive the registration link for Session 2, Session 3, and the pre-paid Text Magic resource.