Principles of Effective Treatment

Principles of Effective Treatment

• Treatment must attend to individual needs, be available, and continually assessed for effectiveness.
• No single treatment is appropriate for all individuals.
• Treatment needs to be readily available and attend to multiple needs of the individual, not just their drug use.
• An individual's treatment plan must be assessed continually and modified as necessary to ensure the plan meets their changing needs.
• Remaining in treatment for an adequate period is crucial for treatment effectiveness.
• Counselling (individual or group) and other behavioural therapies are critical components of effective treatment for addiction.
• Medications are an important element of treatment, especially when combined with counselling and other behavioural therapies.
• Clients presenting with coexisting mental health and substance abuse should have both disorders treated in an integrated way.
• Medical detoxification is only the first stage of treatment and by itself does little to change long-term drug use.
• Treatment does not need to be voluntary to be effective.
• Possible drug use during treatment must be monitored continuously.
• Treatment programs should provide assessment for blood-borne viruses and other infectious diseases, and counselling to help modify or change behaviours that place the person or others at risk of infection.
• Recovery can be a long-term process and frequently requires multiple episodes of treatment.

Miller & Hester Informed Eclecticism

• Assumptions of informed eclecticism: • No single superior approach to treatment for all individuals. • Treatment programs/systems should be constructed with a variety of approaches that have been shown to be effective. • Different individuals respond best to different treatment approaches. • It is possible to match clients to optimal treatment, increasing treatment effectiveness and efficiency.

Effectiveness of Treatment

• Australian Treatment Outcomes Study (ATOS) compared treatment approaches and matching.
• Study findings: • Heroin users: replacement, withdrawal, residential rehabilitation, and non-treatment control. • 3- and 12-month post-entry follow-up showed improved general functioning, increased abstinence, and reduced criminal behaviours. • Noticeable reduction in depression and improvement in injection-related health.
• ATOS treatment sample differed from the general population, with higher rates of PTSD, depression, borderline personality disorder, disability, suicide, and overdose.

This quiz covers the core principles of effective treatment, including attending to individual needs, availability, and continuous assessment. Learn about the essential components of a treatment plan and how it should be tailored to an individual's changing needs.