Moving Beyond Compliance to Lasting Change: Treatment and Systems Implications

To achieve the goals of increased public safety, decreased crime, and safety for families and children, participants in treatment courts need to be engaged in a self-change, accountable treatment process. In the past, the focus has been on compliance to phases and program rules, rather than working on attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors to produce lasting change.



Understanding the science of behavior change to promote lasting accountable recovery has implications for how treatment and justice systems need to change. Individualized treatment using the concepts and constructs of The ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) Criteria and motivational interviewing and other evidence-based practices can help engage participants in lasting change. Systems change is needed on how to use therapeutic adjustments, sanctions and incentives, and what to do about substance use while in treatment.



This interactive workshop will discuss how treatment providers and treatment courts can work together to move individuals beyond compliance with mandated treatment to engage participants in responsible, accountable change.



Objectives - Participants will:

1. Identify how to more purposefully join with participants to facilitate action/change, not just compliance in a treatment program.
2. Apply strategies from the science of behavior change to assess how engaged a participant is in treatment and how to track progress towards lasting change.
3. Discuss what to expect of the justice and treatment team to work together to increase accountability to achieve outcomes of public safety and treatment recovery.
4. Review systems changes in therapeutic adjustments, sanctions and incentives; progress reports and communication to increase participant accountability and improve outcomes.