Contingency management (CM) is one of the only evidence-based behavioral interventions shown to be effective in treating stimulant use disorder (StimUD). Contingency management provides monetary incentives (such as gift cards) for meeting treatment specific goals, including stimulant non-use as measured by point-of-care urine drug tests (UDTs). Through the systematic application of positive reinforcement, individuals are rewarded for positively changing stimulant-focused behavior. Substance use offers a powerful, immediate reinforcement. Contingency management confronts this challenge by offering immediate financial awards that can help activate the brain’s reward system, thus encouraging the replacement of stimulants with the non-drug incentive to achieve a dopamine release. This two-hour training workshop is designed to provide a broad overview of contingency management as a behavioral intervention for the treatment of StimUD. The topics presented throughout the workshop include: (1) the scope of stimulant use in Southern Nevada and beyond; effects of stimulants on the brain, body, and behavior; (3) the psychological and behavioral principles of CM; (4) four essential ingredients of a protocol-based CM Program; (5) positive, encouraging elements of CM; (6) the research support for CM; and (7) strategies for planning for, financing, and implementing a structured CM Program.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Describe at least three (3) patterns and trends regarding the scope of stimulant use in Southern Nevada and beyond.
- Identify at least three (3) acute and three (3) chronic effects of psychostimulant drugs on the brain.
- Specify at least three (3) key principles of operant conditioning.
- Formulate a list of the four (4) essential elements of an evidence-based protocol-driven Contingency Management Program to address stimulant use.
Continuing Education Units: 1.5 CEU // This training is approved for continuing education by the boards listed here.
Cost: FREE
Presented by: Thomas E. Freese, PhD, and Beth A. Rutkowski, MPH, UCLA Integrated Substance Use and Addiction Programs | Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center
*This training opportunity is exclusively available to Clark County providers.