recent ideas about treatment for alcoholism repeatedly are well presented and well received at research parleys yet often are ignored.

recent ideas about treatment for alcoholism repeatedly are well presented and well received at research parleys yet often are ignored, resisted, or simply missed on the clinical community. wherefore does this situation exist? And in what manner can research knowledge be disseminated for a like reason that it will be more acceptable to clinicians? guidances to the answers to these questions might be fix in those cases in which just discovered treatment ideas are well received by means of clinicians.

One example of the reluctance of clinicians to embrace the findings of researchers is illustrated at the Alcoholics Anonymous program. If common considers carefully specific functions of the AA program, undivided observes the use of many of the theoretical ideas of Bandura(1)--in particular, ideas dealing with self-efficacy. The Alcoholics Anonymous General Services Approved Literature includes a booklet entitled, "Living Sober," which stresse ideas as it was as cue exposure and skills training, ideas that can be plant in Bandura's cognitive model for treatment. However, the Alcoholics Anonymous program does not explicitly credit or largely embrace Bandura's work--in spite of the fact that AA luckily employs some of the theoretical ideas. And indeed, the entire alcohol-treatment community has not largely embraced Bandura's ideas, even yet the ideas could benefit this large community businessed about abstinence and relapse prevention.

Several modern ideas in the area of relapse prevention have been marketed and well received. This raises the question of to what end some new models are marketable whereas others are not. In the case of Bandura, it may be that his terminology is nt imidating, calm though his theory probably is applicable to the 12-step world. It has been said that what is stand in want ofed to successfully market new ideas is a presentation that is entertaining.

individual approach to resolving the vexed questions of marketing new ideas about treatment is to research the barriers and rewards that affect the clinician's replication to new ideas. The Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS) asks the patient for what reason he or she feels about heavy drinking. This may be a barrier. The broader question--How does the patient be wrought up about drinking?--might be more acceptable in a program that is abstinence oriented. Other semantic barriers are possible. For example, clinicians might be state off by research conducted within the framework of "behavior modification."

As for rewards, there look to be few. There are insufficient rewards for researchers who give talks at colloquys attended by counselors. of the like kind presentations do not help to obtain manner [i]or[/i] principle of holding or research grants. single in kind point at which such a reward could be implemented would be the grant application stage--although this is not likely to happen.

There also are no rewards for reading journals. This brings to mind the question at issue that published words too ofttimes do not reach hoped-for audiences. Although clinics and treatment center receive a variety of technical journals, the readership frequently is restricted to the chiefs or administrators of the center Ideas for widening the readership of journals include establishment of journal companys and procedures to reward tribe for reading journals.

MARKETING TOOLS

the same idea for helping to market research ideas is for master-hands such as Dr. Annis to create "how to" manuals that instruct researchers in systems for selling new treatment approaches to counselors. like manuals might be especially effective if they hint how researchers can impress concerning counselors the fact that the newer treatments are similar to treatments being used. The counselor might be particularly receptive if shown that newer treatments include ideas already in use, nevertheless organized formally and with an estimate toward being more effective.

Counselors might benefit from a more rigorous and widespread program of training in treatment ideas, including fresh ideas. Most counselors experience on-the-job training or in-service training. There are hardly any lengthy, offsite training programs--for example, summer schools--and those available attend to contain predictable curricula. Programs might benefit greatly if more counselors attended comprehensive training programs from which they could bring back strange ideas as tools for use in their clinics.

Finally, the situation might benefit from what might be called, for lack of a better limit a star system: charismatic purveyors of recently made known ideas who become well known and are able to draw counselors to their presentations. individual example of such a part is Terry Gorski, of CENAPS Corporation, who has been a great spokesman for relapse prevention. However, more communicators are lacked and they must represent a variety of of the present day treatment models and ideas.

(1) descry for example, Bandura, A. Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review 84(2):191-215 1977

...

Home