Community reinforcement and the dissemination of evidence-based practice: Implications for public policy.

Abstract

The Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) and Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) are both highly effective and empirically validated psychosocial approaches to the treatment of addictions whose unique designs may help achieve certain public health objectives. Literature will be reviewed to examine the potential impact of CRA and CRAFT on the dissemination of evidenced-based practice at a public policy level. Through developing relationships with one another, practitioners, social scientists and policy makers may find that they can assist each other in advancing public health through the de-stigmatization of addictions and the promotion of evidence-based practices.

Peer mentoring justice-involved youth: a training model to promote secondary desistance and restorative justice among mentors

“…Additionally, several researchers (Dwyer & Maruna, 2011;Liem & Richardson, 2014;Marsh, 2011) have compared CRA and recovery models in mental and behavioural health to the restorative justice and secondary-desistance oriented shifts in reintegration policy and practices. Consumer movements and allied authorities in mental and behavioural health have mobilised a shift away from a one-dimensional focus on treatment models provided by professional clinical experts (Milford, Austin & Smith, 2007). Approaches in mental and behavioural health have moved towards comprehensive models of supportive care that attempt to destigmatise services, promote the empowerment of marginalised populations and enhance prosocial relationships.…”

Editorial on behavior analytic licensure: General historical issues of why people oppose licensing and the common replies.

“…Behavior analytic principles of operant and respondent conditioning serve as the core for a host of effective interventions for a diverse array of problems. Meeting the APA guidelines for either a well established or promising practice (O'Donohue & Ferguson, 2006) in areas such as addictions (Milford, Austin, & Smith, 2007; Petry Alessi, Hanson & Sierra, 2007; Smith, Milford, and Meyers, 2004; Schumacher Milby, Wallace, Meehan, Kertesz, Vuchinich, Dunning, Usdan, 2007), autism (Matson & Smith, 2008), chronic pain (Romano, Jensen, Turner, Good & Hops, 2000; Sanders, 2006), depression (Spates, Pagoto, & Kalata, 2006) and sex offenders (Marshall, Jones, Ward, Johnston, & Bambaree, 1991). In the area of crime, behavior analytic procedures have been found to have the largest effective size with cognitive components adding little or nothing to the overall base behavioral interventions to recidivism reduction (Illescas, S.R., Sánchez-Meca, and Genovés, 2001).…”