The Bucket Approach: Developing and Implementing an On-line Training Program in Tobacco Dependence Interventions Tailored for Behavioral Health Clinicians

People coping with a mental illness and/or addictive disorders have a very high prevalence of smoking cigarettes. The Bucket Approach, a free online training, tailors evidence-based tobacco dependence interventions for behavioral health clinicians to increase the likelihood that they will also address the tobacco use of their patients. From October 2019 through August 2021, 999 people enrolled in and 447 people completed the training. Individuals who completed the training evaluated it highly with an overall mean score of 8.4 (scale = 1 for very poor to 10 for very good). 3- and 6-month follow-up surveys documented continued impact. The training resulted in substantial changes in beliefs about treating tobacco dependence. For example, before training, 18.3% of trainees strongly agreed with the statement, “The skills currently possessed by behavioral health clinicians can be easily applied to the treatment of tobacco dependence.” This increased to 40.7% at the end of training.