Michael Czuchry

The Use of Node-Link Mapping in Drug Abuse Counseling: The Role of Attentional Factors

This study extends previous research on the use of node-link mapping during counseling by addressing the effect that this visual representation technique has on clients with attentional problems. Participants were 13 counselors in a methadone treatment program and their 93 opioid-addicted clients who had been in treatment for more than three months. Both counselors and clients were randomly assigned to mapping-enhanced or standard counseling. Based on a self-report measure assessing attention-related problems of clients, they were categorized as having either adequate or poor levels of attentional stamina and attentional control. Consistent with previous findings, clients in mapping-enhanced counseling had lower percentages of urine samples that were positive for cocaine or heroin. In addition, results suggest that mapping has greater benefits in terms of session attendance and program perception for clients with poor attentional stamina.

Drug abuse treatment in criminal justice settings : Enhancing community engagement and helpfulness

This study examined the impact of a treatment readiness program on probationers receiving drug abuse treatment in a modified therapeutic community (TC). The program we developed was designed to increase motivation and improve skills needed for treatment progress. Probationers (N = 500) were assigned randomly to receive either the treatment readiness training or the standard approach used at the facility. Probationers responded to newly developed and established measures of community characteristics. Probationers receiving the readiness training rated their communities as more engaged and helpful than did those receiving the standard program. As predicted, probationers who had higher levels of treatment experience prior to entry into the current program (and who may have thus perceived treatment as having more limitations) gave more reserved estimates of community engagement. The current study suggests that the readiness training is having its intended impact on probationers. In addition, the study supports the usefulness of a newly developed measure in evaluating treatment effectiveness.

Node-link mapping and psychological problems. Perceptions of a residential drug abuse treatment program for probationers.

The current study examined program perceptions of 367 probationers admitted to a 4-month residential drug abuse treatment facility that focuses on group counseling. Prior research has shown that many individuals within the criminal justice system have both psychological and drug abuse problems, and that they often have limited success in drug abuse treatment programs. The current study examined whether the benefits of node-link mapping, a visual representation counseling technique that is especially beneficial in group counseling environments, would extend to individuals with psychological problems. Probationers were randomly assigned to mapping-enhanced or standard counseling. Those residents who had higher levels of psychological problems (based on a global indicator of psychological problems), and who received mapping-enhanced counseling, had more favorable perceptions of their counselors and fellow community members over time than their counterparts who received standard counseling.

A model of the effects of node–link mapping on drug abuse counseling

This paper examines the effectiveness of a promising cognitive enhancement technique called node-link mapping. Maps provide a concrete, visual, and computationally efficient means for exploring personal issues, and have received substantial empirical support. We introduce two models to provide a framework for understanding how node-link mapping improves substance abuse counseling. The TCU Process Model reviews the general process of substance abuse treatment. The second model reflects an effective treatment session. Implications of the models and node-link mapping findings are discussed, as well as future research directions.

Cognitive skills training: impact on drug abuse counseling and readiness for treatment.

As part of an NIDA-sponsored project, the current study investigated the effectiveness of a skills program we developed called the TCU Cognitive Skills Module (CSM). The program was developed to address cognitive deficits that may impede substance abuse treatment within the criminal justice system. Probationers in a 4-month residential program (followed by 3 months of aftercare) were randomly assigned (by community) to receive standard treatment or treatment enhanced with the CSM program. Peer ratings, individual ratings of the community, and counselor assessments revealed that the CSM was effective in increasing perceived treatment effectiveness (particularly midway through the program). There was also some support for the CSM being especially effective for probationers who enter treatment with lower levels of treatment readiness.

Improving Early Engagement and Treatment Readiness of Probationers Gender Differences

The current study examined the effectiveness of motivational activities designed to improve early treatment engagement for probationers receiving substance abuse treatment and differential effects on males and females. A total of 294 probationers either received treatment as usual (standard treatment) or standard treatment enhanced with three 2-hour motivational modules. The results indicated that probationers who received the motivational modules perceived their communities as being more engaged and likely to remain clean and sober compared to probationers who received standard treatment, and this was especially true for female probationers (who, in general, demonstrated higher levels of engagement and readiness for treatment than did males). The results also indicated that the motivational activities helped sustain treatment readiness during the first 3 months of treatment.

Downward Spiral: A Pedagogical Game Depicting the Dangers of Substance Abuse:

We have developed a pedagogical game called Downward Spiral that illuminates the dangers associated with continued drug use (including alcohol). The game provides facts, quotes, and episodic consequences that can adversely affect each players mental and physical health, social support, and financial/legal situation over the course of the game. The conceptual and empirical foundations of the game (both a college prevention version and substance abuse treatment version) are discussed. Pilot studies with college students and residents at a substance abuse treatment facility for probationers indicate that Downward Spiral is engaging, informative, and thought provoking. Plans for examining the impact of this game as a preventive technique (for the college setting) and as an approach to increasing motivation for substance abuse treatment are described.

Node-link mapping in individual counseling: treatment impact on clients with ADHD-related behaviors.

Abstract Three types of individual drug abuse counseling were investigated in a private methadone clinic in order to replicate and extend previous work on node-link mapping techniques (two dimensional graphic approaches for visualizing problems and solutions). Standard counseling, enhanced counseling with free-form maps (f-maps), and enhanced counseling with both f-maps and guide-maps (g-maps) were compared at six and 12 months of treatment. Also assessed were differential effects of these counseling conditions on clients with low and high levels of behaviors related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; low-problem versus high-problem clients). Dependent variables included the number of scheduled sessions attended per month, counselor ratings of session characteristics (e.g., powerful, valuable), client psychological status ratings (i.e., self-esteem, depression, and anxiety) and treatment retention (i.e., the number of months clients remained in treatment). Findings replicate and extend prior work indicating the positive impact of using nodelink maps in individual drug abuse counseling. Particular benefits were found for clients with high levels of ADHD-related problems.

The Importance of Need for Cognition and Educational Experience in Enhanced and Standard Substance Abuse Treatment

Abstract The current study examined the relationship between need for cognition (i.e., cognitive motivation or “will”) and educational experience (i.e., cognitive ability or “skill”) to perceived improvements during treatment of probationers receiving residential treatment within the criminal justice system. Probationers were randomly assigned to either receive motivational activities developed by the authors (the “enhanced” condition), or treatment as usual (but with access to general reading materials in lieu of the motivational activities). Need for cognition and educational experience were assessed and used as blocking variables, and ratings of progress were assessed midway and toward the end of treatment. The results indicate that both need for cognition and educational experience are important predictors of improvement during treatment, and that the motivational activities developed by the authors were particularly valuable for clients with lower levels of need for cognition.

Using motivational activities to facilitate treatment involvement and reduce risk.

Abstract The current study examined the effectiveness of motivational modules the authors designed to enhance motivation and confidence for treatment. One hundred and forty-six (146) probationers either received treatment as usual (“standard treatment”) or standard treatment enhanced with the motivational modules. The results indicate that probationers who received the motivational activities were more motivated to be involved in treatment and reduce risky behaviors (e.g., drinking, drug use, risky sex) toward the end of the residential phase of treatment. Methods to improve the intervention, including the development of 10 to 15 minute long micromodules to serve as booster sessions, are discussed.