Introducing cognitive-behavioral training into a self-help drug treatment program.

Describes the mechanics of introducing cognitive-behavioral training into a self-help drug treatment program. Issues that emerged in developing such a paradigm in an outpatient clinic treatment program for cocaine users included incorporating coping techniques into a therapeutic community (TC) milieu, professional leadership vs self-help, and theoretical incompatibilities between 12-step programs and psychological models emphasizing self-control. Although cognitive-behavioral training shares the TC emphasis on self-help, a systematic approach was needed for it to achieve acceptance within the intense cohesiveness of the TC. Examples of applicable behavioral skills training included overcoming social anxieties, dealing with nonverbal experience, and anger management. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)