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"The one-size-fits-all approach to addiction recovery is not as effectiveas working with the client to identify areas in his/her life that are in needof behavioral change and helping to develop a plan based on individualmotivations," states Dr. Jeffrey Foote, Co-Founder and Executive Director ofCMC. "By encouraging each client to invest in why he/she wants to change, andgiving them the practical tools they need to achieve their goals, we arebuilding a foundation for more meaningful, lasting change."
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CMC is the only center of its kind in New York and one of a handful in theUS. Described by Dr. Foote as "change in the real world," CMC's outpatienttreatment model offers an alternative to long term rehabilitation treatmentcenters and enables clients to incorporate their treatment into everyday life.Clients work with the CMC team, all highly-trained clinical psychologists, todevelop a program of group and/or individual therapy sessions. CMCprofessionals determine a treatment plan for the clients after an initialcomprehensive evaluation designed to identify risks, stressors, and areas ofthe client's life which require change. Though treatment lengths vary, CMCreports that most clients experience positive change quickly, with the averagelength of treatment being 3-6 months.
Empowerment, not disease
CMC utilizes research-based treatments with a proven track record ofeffectiveness. Unlike many traditional approaches, these treatments are notbased on the premise that addictive and compulsive behaviors are life-longuncontrollable illnesses over which the individual is powerless. Instead,eschewing the shame-based, negative motivators employed by many treatmentprograms, CMC offers clients respectful, non-judgmental ways of relating toand resolving their substance abuse issues in the context of also developing aricher and more satisfying life.
"The idea that one has a disease that will never go away is not supportedby the evidence," said Dr. Wilkens, CMC's Co-Founder and Clinical Director."People are also told that there is one way to change, and if they don't buyin, they are in the wrong. Some of the clearest evidence we have concerningaddictive behaviors is that people change in many different ways and alongdifferent paths. Confining a person to only one treatment option often blocksthem from making positive and lasting change."
CRAFT: Support for Families
CMC also offers Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), aspecialized program for family members or partners of substance abusersseeking to encourage their loved one to get treatment. Unlike the commonlyutilized confrontational approach of "Intervention", CRAFT provides a positivealternative to engaging the reluctant loved one, and in a number of researchstudies succeeded in engaging an average of 65% of these reluctant clientsinto treatment. This stands in stark contrast to a 25% success rate using"Intervention".(1)
About the Center for Motivation and Change
Founded in 2003 and located in New York City, the Center for Motivationand Change (CMC) is comprised of a group of highly-trained clinicalpsychologists and research scientists committed to providing non-ideological,evidence-based, effective treatment for addictive and compulsive behaviors.After their experience leading several of the most prominent treatment centersin Manhattan including the Addicti
