Characteristics, beliefs, and practices of community clinicians trained to provide manual-guided therapy for substance abusers.
The successful dissemination of empirically supported addiction therapies to community providers requires an appreciation of the characteristics of those practitioners who might be willing participants in this process of technology transfer. Clinicians (N = 66) from 11 community treatment programs associated with six research-clinic partnerships of the National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network volunteered to be trained in Motivational Interviewing or Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET/MI) and were assessed prior to training. The sample of clinicians was heterogeneous in education and credentials, had a high level of counseling experience, reported using a wide range of counseling techniques and orientations, but had limited prior exposure to MET/MI or to the use of treatment manuals of empirically supported therapies. In general, many of the clinicians reported beliefs and techniques that were consistent with their stated theoretical orientation and recovery status. Relatively few participants reported relying on one dominant orientation or set of techniques.
Ball
Samuel
S
Yale University School of Medicine, Division of Substance Abuse, VACT Healthcare Center (151D), 950 Campbell Avenue-Bldg. 35, New Haven, CT06520, USA. samuel.ball@yale.edu
Bachrach
Ken
K
DeCarlo
Jacqueline
J
Farentinos
Chris
C
Keen
Melodie
M
McSherry
Terence
T
Polcin
Douglas
D
Snead
Ned
N
Sockriter
Richard
R
Wrigley
Paulen
P
Zammarelli
Lucy
L
Carroll
Kathleen
K
D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003153:Community Health Services; D003237:Connecticut; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D013664:Teaching Materials; D018581:Technology Transfer