This non-experimental field study examined the relationship between participant reported experiences of relational depth (RD) with their individual counselors in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and participant reported motivation to change substance use. Participants in the study were clients enrolled in inpatient and outpatient levels of substance use disorder treatment. A total of 78 clients (aged 18-77, with mean age 35.97, 80.1% Caucasian, 11.5% African-American, 3.8% Hispanic, 1.3% Asian, 1.3% multiracial, 1.3% other) with SUDs participated in the study. Results demonstrated that treatment process variables explained approximately 42% of the variance in participant recognition scores. Specifically, substance abuse community support involvement (β = .598, rs2 = .908, p < .001) and relational depth (β = .184, rs2 = .178, p = .045) were found to be significant predictors of participant recognition of a substance use problem. From these results, one may tentatively conclude that community support and the development of relational depth in SUD treatment are valuable additions to standard SUD treatment. Extended results are described and summarized using text, tables, and figures. The study has practical and clinical implications for counselors working with clients in substance use disorder treatment particularly concerning the length of individual counseling.

Over the past three decades, the United States criminal justice system and mental health treatment providers have collaborated in ways to support more than 20.3 million individuals who are struggling with a substance use disorder (SUD), and who may also be facing drug-related offenses due to their ongoing challenges combatting addiction. Through collaborative efforts we have been fortunate to witness the establishment of adult drug treatment courts, as well as other problem-solving court processes. With more than 1,500 active adult drug treatment court programs in this country, there is a critical need to better understand the working alliance between counselors and clients who have been mandated to receive SUD treatment. Adult drug treatment court programs have been shown to have discrepant success outcomes (8% to 80%) in terms of reducing criminal recidivism; moreover, the existing literature examining the lived experiences of participants in these programs is both minimal and disheartening. This lack of empirical data is problematic for the counseling profession given that they serve as key change agents in this process. What we do know is that the process of creating treatment goal and modalities, which should be in the hands of the clients and their counselors, can be complicated by court-mandated requirements. This bi-level structure has the potential to create ruptures in the working alliance between clients and counselors providing SUD treatment to this population. Accordingly, additional research is needed to explore the client experience within the working alliance, and in so doing reveal the influences at play when working with clients who are mandated to receive SUD treatment. This qualitative study was guided by one central research question: How do clients experience the working alliance with counselors during drug court-mandated addictions treatment? Interview data from eight individuals in court-mandated SUD treatment led to the development of a constructivist grounded theory model: From compliance to alliance: A grounded theory of building rapport in mandated treatment. This model and it's components describe and define key factors when working with this population. More research is needed to understand counselors' perspectives of the working alliance with court-mandated clients. / Doctor of Philosophy / With more than 1,500 active drug court programs throughout the United States, there is a pressing need to better understand the working alliance between counselors and clients who have been mandated to receive SUD treatment. While adult drug treatment court programs have been shown to have positive outcomes in terms of reducing criminal recidivism, the existing literature examining the participants' lived experiences receiving SUD treatment is minimal and disheartening. Due to the nature of the mandated treatment relationship, the confidentiality which has historically bound and secured the therapeutic working alliance is less defined than it is in fully voluntary treatment settings. This shift in understanding what creates a healthy working alliance for mandated clients to work through presenting treatment issues is something that has yet to be explored by current research. The current study sought to explore clients' experiences of the working alliance with counselors during drug court-mandated addictions treatment. Interview data from eight individuals in court-mandated SUD treatment led to the development of a constructivist grounded theory model: From compliance to alliance: A grounded theory of building rapport in mandated treatment. This model and it's components describe and define key factors when working with this population. More research is needed to understand counselors' perspectives of the working alliance with court-mandated clients.

Quality substance abuse treatment is needed to help fight the battle against drug addiction. This qualitative study was designed to explore some of the approaches to eye movement desensitization (EMDR) therapy that therapists trained in Parnell's adapted EMDR model use in conjunction with treatment for addictions. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to investigate the experience of therapists who incorporate substance abuse treatment with Parnell's adapted EMDR model when treating trauma and substance use disorders. The population studied comprised licensed mental health therapists who had completed Parnell's EMDR training and implemented Parnell's modified EMDR protocol in their professional practice. The data from 9 participant interviews were coded and NVIVO data analysis software was used to identify key concepts and themes including deviations from Parnell's modified protocol, incorporating addiction treatment within the modified protocol, and the importance of the resourcing phase in the modified protocol. The study findings provided a deeper understanding of the types of addiction therapies that therapists are using in conjunction with Parnell's EMDR model. The results also showed that that participants perceived Parnell's EMDR model, combined with addiction therapeutic techniques and approaches, as beneficial in treating those with trauma and substance use disorders. By integrating addiction therapies with Parnell's EMDR protocol, EMDR certified trainers may better educate EMDR trainees about useful strategies for treating dual diagnosed clients. The strategies may shorten the client's time in treatment and provide a strong foundation for therapists as they conduct therapy for dual diagnosed people.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The United States is experiencing a severe opioid use epidemic with more than 2 million people currently suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD), of which, over 1 million need treatment. Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) are evidence-based modality providing comprehensive care to individuals experiencing OUD. OTPs provide counseling, medical assessments, and medication-assisted treatment, which decrease the use of illicit opioids, reduce associated deaths, criminality, and improve the psychosocial wellbeing of its patients. However, OTPs have been extensively regulated at the federal, state, and local levels with little consistency and varying degrees of enforcement across the country, particularly at the state level, creating a “regulatory fog”. This complex regulatory environment has made it challenging to study new or changing regulations and their impact on health outcomes. In order to better understand the variation of OTP regulation, this dissertation: (1) employs public health law research methods to map the entire landscape of state-level regulation of OTPs and associated state characteristics in effect on January 1, 2017; (2) examine how state-level regulations affect the delivery of care from the perspective of OTP administrators through key-information interviews; and (3) examines associations between regulatory burden and related health outcomes of individuals experiencing OUD, by state.

The increasing prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD) is a major public health crisis in the Unites States. Adolescence is an ideal period for early intervention to reduce the risk of SUDs in adulthood, as research has shown that up to 60% of adult SUD could have been avoided by early intervention in youth. Prior research has typically focused on urban metropolitan areas when describing adolescent substance use. However while the data is varied, several studies have shown that the prevalence of rural adolescent substance use is equal or greater than that of their urban peers, particularly alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drug use, and begin use at an earlier age. There are several methods of treatment for adolescent substance use and SUD, centered on evidence-based practices, which have been shown to be moderately effective at reducing substance use. Despite the existence of these treatment strategies, substantial disparities exists with respect to the number of adolescents who could potentially benefit and the number who actually enroll in treatment. It has been estimated that 90% of adolescents in need of treatment are not able to succeed in receiving it. This highlights the importance of understanding the circumstances in which youth initiate drug use and the unique barriers they must overcome to receive treatment when these behaviors develop into a pattern that impacts daily life. With this information, interventions can be targeted to reduce the magnitude of the most significant barriers in order to increase treatment utilization, especially in rural areas where adolescents face unique challenges to treatment access as a consequence of their remote locations. A literature review was conducted and found the major barriers in access to substance use treatment for adolescents to be a lack of available treatment programs, lack of treatment options including medication treatment, lack of perceived need or motivation for treatment, social stigma, socioeconomic status (SES), familial relationships, and referral services. These studies were all conducted in the United States and published from 2011-2020. The aim of this thesis is to propose a protocol for the completion of a systematic review to determine which barriers exist to adolescents receiving substance use treatment and to examine them in the context of rurality. Healthcare decisions and policy are informed by the best available evidence from systematic research and incorporated into evidence-based practices. A systematic review will summarize the findings of all relevant studies thereby making the key information more accessible to decision makers, including clinicians and policy makers, in order for substance use treatment to become more accessible to adolescents.

Intimate partner violence (IPV), substance use, and HIV are syndemic and have compounding risks that contribute to the collective physical and mental health burden among women in the United States. These syndemic factors may contribute to the significant gender-related disparities in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. IPV is a source of stress and trauma for women, with known interactions with SUD; however, SUD services generally lack trauma-informed treatment modalities to address IPV-related health impacts. The goal of this dissertation was to improve the understanding of the associations between IPV, substance use behaviors, and SUD treatment utilization, and to inform the response to women’s needs related to IPV experiences and substance use within healthcare settings. We employed a mixed-methods approach to understand the interplay of IPV with subsequent substance use behaviors and utilization of SUD services, along with identifying differences by HIV status. We used quantitative methods to evaluate the association of specific forms of IPV (psychological, physical, and sexual) with subsequent substance use (Chapter 2) and SUD service utilization (Chapter 3), and qualitative methods to explore women’s perspectives on how IPV experiences influenced their substance use behaviors and SUD treatment and recovery (Chapter 4). The study in Chapter 2 found that incident IPV experiences were associated with increased risk of subsequent substance use, with physical IPV being more consistently associated than other IPV forms. The study in Chapter 3 found recent IPV experiences to be associated with increased SUD service utilization, whereas lifetime IPV experiences were associated with decreased utilization. Both quantitative studies highlight the complex relationship between IPV and substance use and SUD service utilization. This relationship varies by IPV form, with the syndemic interaction of IPV and HIV exacerbating adverse outcomes. In Chapter 4, qualitative findings explained mechanisms of IPV’s contribution to substance use behaviors and impediment of SUD service engagement and recovery. The interviews also highlighted the value of mental health and IPV supportive services, along with SUD treatment, for a successful SUD recovery. Overall, the findings of this dissertation emphasize the importance of using a trauma-informed approach to address IPV to facilitate women’s SUD recovery. / 2026-05-16T00:00:00Z