Web-Based Contingency Management Training for Addictions

Drug abusing and dependent youth represent a greatly under-served population at high risk of
presenting significant deleterious long-term outcomes for themselves, their families,
communities and society at extraordinary long-term costs. Adolescent substance use has been
linked to serious problems including automobile accidents, increased rates of risky sexual
behavior which increases the youth's chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases,
high rates of physical and sexual abuse, and increased risk for school dropout. Further, drug
use during adolescence predicts decreased college involvement as well as direct links to
unemployment and job instability in young adulthood. In general, youth with substance use
disorders represent a greatly under-served population in need of effective treatment;
however, adolescents and their families seeking treatment are unlikely to receive an
effective evidence-based intervention. Given this, there is a clear public health need for
improving and expanding the delivery of evidence-based treatments for adolescent substance
use. Despite this clear need, there is a large divide between science and practice. The
proposed project has the potential to overcome a gaping need within the outpatient treatment
sector, which is the largest purveyor of adolescent substance use treatment in the country.
Specifically, the proposed SBIR Phase II project will commercialize a targeted internet-based
Training Support System (TSS) which will make it possible for community-based agencies to
adopt, implement, and sustain use of Contingency Management (CM), an evidence-based substance
abuse treatment for adolescents and their families. This system includes an initial computer
assisted training for individual counselors, individual- and agency-level performance
assessment and feedback processes, remediation training and support, organizational-level
consultation on funding structures, and clinical expert guidance for counselors. This
entirely internet-based training and support system is the first of its kind. It provides a
cost-effective training and support platform for community-based substance abuse treatment
providers, enabling them to train staff in an evidence-based practice with the necessary
ongoing support to ensure fidelity and rapid uptake of the practice. The Phase I aims focused
on development of the TSS and initial pilot testing. The Phase II project's first aim is to
finalize development of the TSS based on data collected in the Phase I pilot testing. These
data-driven enhancements and changes will ensure high usability and commercialization
potential of the TSS. The project's second aim is to conduct a randomized trial evaluating
the efficacy of the TSS in community-based settings, including qualitative evaluation of the
TSS and quantitative evaluation of (a) counselor knowledge, adherence, and satisfaction and
(b) clinical outcomes and client satisfaction. Phase II will conclude with the development of
a market-ready CM Training Support System for community-based counselors that will provide a
cost-effective strategy for increasing the use of evidence-based interventions for youth who
need them and rarely have access to them.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Professional counselors in outpatient substance abuse treatment agencies.

- Must treat adolescent substance abusers in clinic-based care.

- Counselors employed by these agencies are healthy, gainfully-employed individuals who
are all adults with advanced degrees.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Participants will be excluded if they are not professional counselors

- Younger than age 22

- Do not work in outpatient substance abuse treatment agencies.