Continuing Care and Assessment Division

Clinical Trials

Extended Telephone Continuing Care for Alcohol Dependence 

(James R. McKay, PhD, PI)

This National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)-funded R01 grant is testing the effectiveness and benefit-cost of two 18-month telephone-based continuing care protocols for alcohol-dependent patients.  One of these is an adaptive protocol that provides in-person counseling sessions in addition to the telephone contact when patients are at heightened risk for relapse.  The purpose of the interventions is to increase rates of sustained, successful recovery from alcohol dependence.  Participants in the study are randomly assigned to receive standard care at their treatment facility, or standard care plus one of the two extended continuing care interventions.  Patients with alcohol dependence who are in treatment at several community treatment programs in Philadelphia are eligible for this study.  Research follow-ups are conducted every 3 months for 2 years.  

Individuals interested in participating can contact Kathleen Ward at (215)746-7710.

Extended Treatment for Drug Dependence

(James R. McKay, PhD, PI)

This National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded R01 tests two 24-month adaptive continuing care interventions for drug-dependent patients who have become engaged in intensive outpatient treatment (IOP).  These interventions are provided over the telephone, and also through in-person counseling visits when a patient’s level of risk for relapse increases.  One of these interventions includes incentives for sustained participation and compliance with stepped care over the first year (e.g., gift certificates to popular businesses).  The purpose of the interventions is to increase rates of sustained, successful recovery from cocaine dependence.  Participants in the study are randomly assigned to receive standard care at the IOP, or standard care plus one of the two extended continuing care interventions.  Patients with cocaine dependence in treatment at several community treatment programs in Philadelphia are eligible for this study.  Research follow-ups are conducted at either 3 or 6 month intervals over 2 years.  

Individuals interested in participating can contact Megan Long at (215) 746-7712.

Employment Intervention for Offenders

(Donna M. Coviello, PhD, PI)

This study evaluates the effectiveness and benefit-costs of integrating employment services with drug counseling for offenders who are mandated to drug treatment.  Preliminary work has shown the importance of integrating drug and employment counseling with methadone clients.  This integrated counseling and employment (ICE) intervention is a manualized treatment based on interpersonal cognitive problem solving theory that has been developed under a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded behavioral therapies development grant.  Parolees are randomly assigned to receive either the integrated counseling and employment (ICE) intervention or a drug counseling-only control condition.  There are two specific aims of the proposed study:  The first aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the ICE intervention among offenders over an 18-month period post-treatment entry in terms of the primary outcomes during treatment - employment, drug use, and crime, including parole infractions; and the secondary outcomes of HIV risk behaviors, post-treatment employment, drug use and crime, and other areas of functioning (e.g., psychiatric, social/family functioning).  The second aim is to perform a benefit-cost analysis comparing the integrated treatment with the drug counseling-only control condition.  Integrating employment services into drug therapy sessions could be a more effective, less costly and more functional alternative than the traditional approach of making referrals for employment services.  

Individuals interested in participating can contact Lillian Riley at (215) 746-7322.


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