We propose to organize a psychotherapy research center dedicated to the development, evaluation and refinement of psychotherapies for drug abuse. The organizing theme is psychotherapy development and empirical testing based on the 'technology model' of psychotherapy research (Waskow, 1984). The Center will catalyze the process of developing promising drug abuse treatments from the point where they are merely 'good ideas' to one where they are capable of being disseminated to the clinical field as empirically validated treatments. This process requires research at sequential, progressively demanding phases. Phase I consists of pilot testing, manual writing and training program development; Phase II consists of controlled efficacy trials and studies on effective components of treatments; Phase III consists of multisite studies to evaluate generalizability of efficacious treatments. Research in the proposed Center will be organized around this sequential program with a CORE facility and 6 individual research components. Core staff will provide scientific oversight, administration and technical assistance to individual Center projects and also provide consultation and technology transfer services to investigators and clinicians at other sites. Three Phase I projects will develop new approaches: Cognitive Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Drug Abusers, Expectancy- based Coping Skills Training for Cocaine Abuse and a Relational Psychotherapy Parenting Group Therapy for Methadone-Maintained Mothers. Three Phase II projects will evaluate efficacy of more established approaches: CRA to improve Naltrexone Treatment, Relapse Prevention and Dynamic interactional group treatments for adolescent drug abusers, and a study of focused Coping Skills Components in cocaine abuse treatment.
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