An autobiographical, narrative art therapy approach to treat drug addiction was co-developed at the Methadone Clinic of Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The 10-session art therapy intervention included a group of 7 men. The protocol, as illustrated with a case example, suggests that it could help resolve deep-seated pain,…

Rehabilitation for persons who use drugs in the Philippines is premised on a multidisciplinary team approach to treatment, where delivery of services is collaboratively undertaken by physicians and rehabilitation practitioners. In 2013, a government-academe-civil society collaborative developed a customized training program for nurses,…

A popular notion refers to laughter as ''the best medicine,'' and a stream of psychological research encourages treatment providers to use humour as a therapeutic tool. However, remarkably few studies have investigated client perspectives on professionals' use of humour in everyday practice. Drawing on ethnographic data from fieldwork in two…

The present report is an intent-to-treat analysis involving secondary data drawn from the first randomized clinical trial of prison-initiated methadone in the United States. This study examined predictors of treatment entry and completion in prison. A sample of 211 adult male prerelease inmates with preincarceration heroin dependence were randomly…

Training in the Fairy Tale model of trauma-informed treatment was provided to clinical and direct care staff working with 53 youth in a residential treatment facility. Compared to the year prior to training, in the year of the training the average improvement in presenting problems was increased by 34%, time to discharge was reduced by 39%, and…

The purpose of this paper is to describe characteristics of substance abuse treatment counselors in the Republic of South Africa, including demographics, education, training, and job duties. Counselors recruited from 24 treatment centers completed a survey after signing informed consent. Counselors were primarily female (75%), racially diverse…

Objectives: This study examines potential predictors (e.g., attachment style, frequency of therapeutic treatment sessions) of client-rated therapeutic alliance between the social worker and client. The relationship between therapeutic alliance and client's psychological outcomes (hope and posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTS's]) was also assessed.…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine the subjective experiences of six recovering addicts as they reflected on how their interactions with others facilitated or impeded their healing from addiction. The study involved in-depth interviews with six participants who had recovered from their extensive substance…

This article describes the rationale, study design, and implementation for the Step'n Out study of the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies. Step'n Out tests the relative effectiveness of collaborative behavioral management of drug-involved parolees. Collaborative behavioral management integrates the roles of parole officers and treatment…

A previous randomized trial with 224 alcohol and/or cocaine addicts who had completed an initial phase of treatment indicated that 12 weeks of telephone-based continuing care yielded higher abstinence rates over 24 months than did group counseling continuing care. The current study examined mediators of this treatment effect. Results suggested…

This paper examines the association of psychosocial factors and long-term drug use behaviors (year-5.5) among adolescents with a substance dependence disorder. One group received treatment with a 12-Step approach (n = 159) and one group was on a waiting list (n = 62). Four psychosocial factors (deviant behavior, peer drug environment,…

Although some consider the 12-step method of Alcoholics Anonymous to be the treatment of choice for people struggling with substance abuse, differing approaches have been developed within the area of addictions. Motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2002), enacted within a stages-of change model (DiClemente & Velasquez, 2002), seeks to…

Suggests that self-efficacy in relation to one's addiction is a factor in sustained sobriety, and explores implications for counseling. Treatment strategies that improve clients' coping skills, develop their sense of personal control, and enhance perceptions of self-efficacy reduce the risk of alcoholic relapses. (JAC)

Examines how institutions, which are part of the substance abuse treatment industry, address the connection between tobacco and other drugs in youth. Results suggest that the majority of treatment programs are routinely assessing tobacco use of the youth in their care, but only a small proportion follow through with tobacco cessation as an…

Discusses variety of approaches used to treat chemical dependency. Describes an adolescent program that integrates strengths of different perspectives and techniques. Concludes model is broad enough to address the wide variety of needs that chemically dependent adolescents present and represents a step toward joining of forces in chemical…