Robert J. Meyers
ACRA & CRAFT Certified
Family-Centered Approach:
Our program emphasizes the crucial role of family in the recovery journey.
ACRA
Backed by extensive research and recognized as a top alcohol treatment, ACRA proves effective across diverse populations, age groups, and socioeconomic levels. It caters to both inpatients and outpatients, even supporting severely alcohol-dependent individuals and dually-diagnosed clients. Furthermore, the adolescent version has shown success in addressing marijuana abuse.
The Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA), a scientifically-supported substance use treatment. This workshop equips therapists with the skills to effectively implement ACRA, a proven cognitive-behavioral treatment that ranks among the top five alcohol treatments in various reviews.
ACRA’s success extends to diverse populations, encompassing a wide range of ages and socioeconomic groups. It has shown efficacy with inpatients, outpatients, severely alcohol-dependent individuals, and dually-diagnosed clients. Recently, ACRA has demonstrated positive outcomes with marijuana-abusing adolescents.
In the workshop, participants will delve into ACRA’s theory and rationale, gaining a comprehensive understanding of its underlying cognitive-behavioral principles. Learn essential methods to increase the likelihood of ambivalent substance abusers committing to treatment and embracing behavior change. Master techniques such as identifying reinforcers to motivate change, employing motivational strategies, and incorporating sobriety sampling.
CRAFT
The Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training (CRAFT) intervention is a scientifically based intervention designed to help concerned significant others (CSOs) to engage treatment-refusing substance abusers into treatment. This new intervention method was developed with the belief that since family members can, and do make important contributions in other areas of addiction treatment (i.e. family and couples therapy), that the CSO can play a powerful role in helping to engage the substance user who is in denial to submit to treatment. In addition, it is often the substance user who reports that family pressure or influence is the reason sought treatment. Also, CSOs who attend the CRAFT program also benefit by becoming more independent and reducing their depression, anxiety and anger symptoms even if their loved one does not enter treatment.
CRAFT uses an overall positive approach and steers clear of any confrontation. CRAFT is a culturally sensitive program that works with the client’s mores and beliefs to develop an appropriate treatment plan. The program emphasizes learning new skills to cope with old problems. Some of the components include how to stay safety, outlining the context in which substance abusing behavior occurs, teaching CSOs how to use positive reinforcers (rewards) and how to let the substance user suffer the natural consequences for their using behavior.
No one has better information about the substance user’s behavior patterns than a close family member. CRAFT teaches the CSO how to use this information in a motivational way to increase the chance of the substance user entering treatment. CRAFT research has shown that almost 7 out of 10 people who use the program get their substance user to attend treatment. CRAFT has been shown to be equally effective with Hispanic and Anglo families.
Together, let’s empower individuals and families to achieve a brighter, healthier future.