Overview

This book is the first complete guide to implementing the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA), an empirically based, highly effective cognitive-behavioral program for treating alcohol problems. An ideal program for any practitioner trying to reconcile the needs of their clients with mandates of HMOs and insurance providers, this approach has been deemed one of the most cost-effective treatments available by recent research. CRA acknowledges the powerful role of environmental contingencies in encouraging or discouraging drinking, and attempts to rearrange these contingencies so that a non-drinking lifestyle is more rewarding than a drinking one. Unique in its breadth, the approach utilizes social, recreational, familial, and vocational strategies to aid clients in the recovery process. This authoritative manual is a hands-on guide to applying these therapeutic procedures. Opening with an account of the history of CRA and the empirical support for its efficacy, the book addresses the clinical concerns of those treating substance abusing clients. Specific instructions are provided for conducting detailed assessments of the client and interviewing concerned others. Sobriety sampling and disulfiram use within CRA are discussed in chapters of their own. The authors then present a step-by-step guide to each component of the treatment plan, many of which have been shown to be effective forms of treatment in themselves. Topics include * behavioral skills training * social and recreational counseling * marital therapy * motivational enhancement * job counseling * relapse prevention Each chapter provides detailed instructions for conducting a procedure, describes what difficulties to expect, and presents strategies for overcoming them. Sample dialogues between clients and therapists, annotated by the authors, further illuminate the treatment process. The book concludes with a chapter that both addresses the common mistakes made when implementing CRA, and emphasizes the flexibility and benefits of this total treatment plan. An accessible and practical program, CRA can be implemented by all clinicians who treat alcohol abusing clients, regardless of orientation. Providing a cost-effective approach that is highly efficacious, Clinical Guide to Alcohol Treatment is an invaluable resource for the wide range of practitioners working in today's managed-care environment, including psychologists, psychiatrists, substance abuse counselors, and social workers.

Full Product Details

9780898628579

Table of Contents

Reviews

I am impressed. This volume does an excellent job of describing the Community Reinforcement Approach in an effective manner. Offering a good balance between theoretical and hands-on clinical information, the work is an outstanding practical guide to treating problem drinking using the community reinforcement approach. --Stephen T. Higgins, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Psychology, University of Vermont <br> This volume addresses a need in the literature, and will be of great assistance in program planning and implementation. The authors have tailored the best available research and information on the community reinforcement approach into a state-of-the-art treatment program that will be invaluable to practicing clinicians and program managers who are looking for cost-effective, efficacious treatments. --David S. Timken, Ph.D. <br> This book is the kind of work that builds bridges, and finally allows the findings of years of careful clinical research to be applied in everyday practice. --from the foreword by William R. Miller, Ph.D. <br> I recommend this book to therapists and researchers who are interested in the community reinforcement approach to treating alcohol problems. In addition to detailed descriptions of a wide variety of specific treatment methods, the book provides numerous therapist-client dialogues or scripts illustrating the clinical implementation of this material. --G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D., Director, Addictive Behaviors Research Center, University of Washington <br> Clinical Guide to Alcohol Treatment presents a comprehensive and compelling review of the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) for the treatment of substance problems, including both alcohol and cocaine abuse/dependence. From reviewing the literature on the earliest CRA trials dating back over twenty years to presenting an update on current CRA trials, this book clearly makes the case that CRA works. But the book goes far beyond a review of the literature.

I am impressed. This volume does an excellent job of describing the Community Reinforcement Approach in an effective manner. Offering a good balance between theoretical and hands-on clinical information, the work is an outstanding practical guide to treating problem drinking using the community reinforcement approach. --Stephen T. Higgins, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Psychology, University of Vermont <br> This volume addresses a need in the literature, and will be of great assistance in program planning and implementation. The authors have tailored the best available research and information on the community reinforcement approach into a state-of-the-art treatment program that will be invaluable to practicing clinicians and program managers who are looking for cost-effective, efficacious treatments. --David S. Timken, Ph.D. <br> This book is the kind of work that builds bridges, and finally allows the findings of years of careful clinical research to be applied i

.,. the first detailed text to implement the community reinforcement approach....The philosophy and comprehensiveness of the programme are...particularly commended and this book is clearly written and clearly describes what is an important strategy in treating people with alcohol and addiction problems. -- Alcohol & Alcoholism <br> The 'Community Reinforcement Approach' (CRA)...is an idea whose time has clearly come....CRA operates from a disarmingly straightforward approach, which is probably more immediately accessible to clients than many forms of psychotherapy....The dialogues are pithy, illustrative, and pleasantly pointed....As I was reading [Clinical Guide to Alcohol Treatment], I could immediately think of a number of ideas that I could incorporate into everyday practice, whether or not I should ever adopt CRA....It's extensive appendices are lucid and cogent documentation of the instruments CRA employs. Even the price is right for the quality of the work. Run right out and buy it. You will be up tonight reading through it. -- Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment <br>.,. a very readable, practical guide to the day-to-day practical application of CRA. It is written in a basic, instructional style which aids comprehension of the strategies involved in CRA....A very useful, readly accessible addition to the alcohol treatment field....Will help to foster adoption of effective treatment approaches. -- Addiction <br> The authors present a thorough and detailed exposition of each of their ideas and its application in the clinical setting. They include numerous interchanges between clients and therapists to illustrate the actual use of different ideas. The authors have created auseful document. -- Psychiatric Services <br>

Author Information

Robert J. Meyers, PhD, is Director of Robert J. Meyers, PhD, and Associates, and is Emeritus Research Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of New Mexico, where his primary affiliation is with the Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA). An internationally sought speaker who has delivered trainings throughout the world, Dr. Meyers is the developer of CRAFT. He is a recipient of the Dan Anderson Research Award from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the Early Career Investigator Award from the Research Society on Alcoholism. He has published nearly 100 scientific articles or chapters and 10 books, including the CRAFT self-help book Get Your Loved One Sober. Jane Ellen Smith, PhD, is Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico.

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