SECTION ON BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS AND APPLICATIONS
Director: Kimberly Kirby, Ph.D.
Current Projects
Medical Integration of Substance Use Services; Kimberly Kirby, PhD; Adam Brooks, PhD: TRI is leading a group of Philadelphia partners in a medical integration project funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Two procedures are being empirically evaluated, both screening low income patients when they present formedical treatment at a community health center, and providing on-site brief interventions before attempting referral to specialty substance abuse treatment for those with moderate to severe substance use. Client outcomes and other measures will be examined and costs and benefits analyzed over the life of the project.
Group Contingency Management; Kimberly Kirby, Ph.D. This is a NIDA Behavior Therapy Development grant to develop a contingency management intervention for group therapy. Pilot studies are evaluating the 1) feasibility of targeting multiple behaviors in a group treatment format, and 2) reducing the urine monitoring schedule for treatment groups without significantly reducing the efficacy of the intervention. The ultimate goal of this project is development of new models of contingency management that are more acceptable to counselors by moving implementation of the intervention to group settings, reducing urinalysis costs, and targeting multiple behaviors. View Publications.
Computer-Assisted System for Patient Assessment and Referral (CASPAR): Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, PA (NIDA); Southern New Jersey (NIAAA): Deni Carise, Ph.D. This NIH-funded study is a replication of a previous study in Philadelphia on a computerized system for counselors fostering patient assessment and referral (CASPAR). More on CASPAR. The current projects are studies of a CASPAR-centered Quality Improvement Initiative in seven agencies, involving up to 36 counselors and 400 patients in the two Phases of the studies. In Phase I, TRI will review ASIs and completed treatment plans for six consenting clients from up to 36 counselors. In Phase II, TRI scientists will provide targeted data-driven feedback to program directors and clinical supervisors, and collaborate with them to evaluate and modify treatment plan forms. TRI will train counselors to make targeted referrals using the CASPAR system. TRI will follow all clients from Phases I and II at 2, 4, and 8 weeks post admission using the Treatment Services Review and the Treatment Planning Satisfaction Scale to measure the number and types of services received, as well as overall client satisfaction. At three months post admission, TRI will administer the ASI and TSR, along with saliva drug screen. Client data will be compared pre and post to assess replication of previous study findings and to assess the effects of CASPAR training as part of a quality improvement initiative.
Toolkits: Will Implementing an Evidence Based Curriculum Improve Group Counseling?; Adam Brooks, Ph.D. This NIDA-funded study is evaluating the feasibility, acceptability and impact of a “Toolkit” designed to assist counselors to conduct group therapy sessions using motivational interviewing techniques with minimal prior training. The “Toolkit” is a plastic clipboard containing 1) a laminated Clinician’s Guide with prompts; 2) a five minute DVD played at the beginning of the group as orientation; 3) patient worksheets for listing “good things” and “not so good things” about recovery; and 4) wallet cards for patients to record reminders about their recovery process. Up to 30 counselors will be recruited from six programs in Philadelphia and asked to conduct one Toolkit-informed group session with brief advance training. They will also be invited to conduct additional sessions on a voluntary basis over a three-month period with no additional training. Survey feedback collected from patients and clinicians will evaluate patient satisfaction, increases in readiness to change, and clinician acceptance and ability to administer the technique with proficiency.
Multimedia Toolkits to Implement 12-Step Recovery Concepts in Group Counseling; Kimberly Kirby, Ph.D. This NIAAA-funded study is evaluating the feasibility, acceptability and impact of a “Toolkit” designed to assist minimally trained counselors to better educate patients on the benefits of 12-Step recovery groups. The “Toolkit” contains 1) a laminated Clinician’s Guide with prompts; 2) a five minute DVD played at the beginning of the group as orientation; and 3) patient worksheets. Up to 80 counselors will be recruited from inpatient programs in the Philadelphia area and asked to conduct five Toolkit-informed group sessions following a brief training. Survey feedback collected from patients and clinicians will evaluate patient satisfaction, 12-Step group involvement, and clinician acceptance and ability to administer the technique with proficiency.
