Abstract
This paper examines the post-treatment support practices, attitudes and preferences of outpatient alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment staff as well as perceived barriers to implementing a post-treatment support service in an outpatient AOD treatment context. Data were collected via semi-structured interview and group discussion (n = 23). Findings suggest that post-treatment support was rarely provided by participating AOD treatment staff or their respective services. However, there was widespread support for implementing such services, and it was generally believed that implementation would be most successful if: multiple post-treatment support options were made available; if one or more of these options were based on the maintenance of an established client/clinician relationship; and if one of the options involved proactive (service-led) telephone support. A number of barriers to possible implementation were identified, although none were considered insurmountable.
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Notes
The term ‘post-treatment support’, as used in this paper, refers to any form of support provided by a specialist AOD service to a client following completion of, or discharge from, an initial course of treatment. Accordingly, the post-treatment support would be provided irrespective of whether the recipient was deemed to have successfully completed the initial course of treatment or not.
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Acknowledgements
This study was made possible by the generous support of the New Zealand National Drug Policy Discretionary Grant Fund. The authors would also like to acknowledge the valuable contribution made by all participants involved in this study and Jenny Freedman-Hague for facilitating participant recruitment in the Northland region.
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Pulford, J., Black, S., Wheeler, A. et al. Providing Post-Treatment Support in an Outpatient Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Context: A Qualitative Study of Staff Opinion. Int J Ment Health Addiction 8, 471–481 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-009-9218-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-009-9218-0