Kensington Research Institute

The Adolescent Treatment Models (ATM) Project

With funding from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Adolescent Treatment Models (ATM) Project was part of a multi-site endeavor aimed at achieving three overarching goals. First, the program sought to identify substance abuse treatment programs around the United States that were providing exemplary, "cutting edge" treatment services for adolescents. Second, having identified these creative treatment programs and approaches, the program necessitated conducting a rigorous scientific evaluation of each program’s efficacy, to determine how well it achieved its desired treatment-related outcomes. Identifying which "types" of adolescents had the best outcomes (boys versus girls, Caucasians versus African Americans, older versus younger teenagers, marijuana users versus heroin users, and so forth) and which "types" of adolescents were not being served as effectively was the principal goal here, so that, ultimately, the treatment experience could be made more effective for all adolescents entering the program. Third, upon completion of the evaluation, each grantee developed a comprehensive manual detailing all aspects of its treatment approach. This manual included such information as treatment philosophy and theoretical/clinical model(s) governing each program’s approach to providing drug treatment, staffing patterns, qualifications of the treatment staff, and treatment curriculum/regimen.

For the ATM Project, KRI research staff collaborated with the treatment staff at an outpatient substance abuse treatment program located in Baltimore County, Maryland (who provided the treatment that was being evaluated in this study) and with research staff members at Friends Research Institute (who implemented the research components of the evaluation study). KRI worked with the Executive Director of the treatment program to co-author the original application for funding, developed the evaluation study design, hired and trained the research associates, conducted numerous training sessions with the Clinical Managers of the treatment facility so that they could support the research and evaluation activities as effectively as possible, and selected and designed supplemental questionnaires to support the study’s data collection needs and address its principal research questions.

Ultimately, the ATM Project was designed to implement a token economy incentive system, enabling the research/treatment team to compare outcomes for adolescents receiving only the routine course of treatment to those for adolescents receiving the same course of treatment supplemented by performance- and behavior-related incentives. Quantitative data collection occurred at the time of treatment intake and again six months after the completion of treatment. The quantitative questionnaire data were supplemented by qualitative data recorded after each interview session and during selected group counseling sessions, along with periodic recorded observations taking place at the treatment facility in public areas. Since the treatment program being evaluated measured success holistically (rather than merely focusing on becoming drug-free as the only, or principal, treatment-related goal), outcome measures included in the evaluation study were based on 10 domains of functioning. These were: substance use, physical health, mental health, vocational performance, educational performance, peer relationships, family relationships, leisure-time and recreational activities, delinquency, and social functioning.