Twelve Step Facilitation Therapy Manual

Book excerpt: Project MATCH, a 5-year study, was initiated by the Treatment Research Branch of NIAAA in 1989. The objective of the project is to determine if varying subgroups of alcohol abusing or dependent patients respond differentially to three treatments: (1) Twelve-step facilitation therapy, (2) Cognitive-behavioral coping skills therapy, and (3) Motivational enhancement therapy. Each treatment is delivered during a 12-week period by trained therapists following a standardized protocol. The twelve-step facilitation approach is grounded in the concept of alcoholism as a spiritual and medical disease. The content of this intervention is consistent with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), with primary emphasis given to Steps 1 though 5. The facilitation program described in this manual is intended for use in brief individual outpatient treatment for persons who satisfy the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence and abuse. It is intended to be flexible enough to allow for individual treatment planning and for use as a primary treatment for persons who have never been exposed to the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), as well as for individuals who have had such exposure, for example, through prior treatment.