Contingency Management Therapy

Contingency management therapy uses positive reinforcement to bring about healthy and beneficial changes in behavior. It is based on the idea that people with substance use disorders can use contingency management to behave effectively and adhere to their values and ideals even when times are hard, emotions are difficult to manage, or challenges arise. Roaring Brook Recovery offers high-intensity outpatient addiction therapy programs in Lexington, KY, that include contingency management therapy (CMT).

To learn more about Roaring Brook Recovery and the highly effective, evidence-based protocol known as CMT, just call 855.590.9944 to speak to one of our caring and knowledgeable staff today. Contingency management therapy in Lexington, KY, is just a phone call away. Let Roaring Brook make your recovery process the best it can be.

The Basic Principles of Contingency Management Therapy

Positive rewards for positive behaviors are at the heart of CMT. Rather than focusing on guilt or negativity when things are hard, a relapse happens, or you do not live up to a desired behavior, the core concept of CMT is positive reinforcement. Instead of using punishment or withholding reinforcement for behaviors that don’t align with your recovery and mental health goals, CMT uses reinforcement and rewards for accomplishing desired goals and hitting benchmarks in your recovery.

CMT can be used with other evidence-based therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), in seeking to promote lasting sobriety.

Specific Strategies of Contingency Management Addiction Treatment

Since the 1960s, when research into this form of addiction treatment began in earnest, CMT has been found to be highly successful in treating people with one or more SUD.

The rewards that you earn during treatment when you hit behavioral goals are usually something tangible, based on what motivates you. There are two basic forms that rewards typically take:

1. Voucher-based reinforcement (VBR) – You and your therapist will figure out what the best motivational rewards are for you. You’ll also decide which specific benchmarks in your recovery will earn a reward.  Your voucher will have monetary value, for example, a gift card, that can be used for something you value or desire. As your positive behaviors in recovery increase and amplify, the vouchers increase in value.
2. Prize incentives (PI) – PIs are similar to VBRs in that you are rewarded with something of value, but in this case, you earn chances to win cash prizes. You get more chances to draw every time you hit a new behavioral benchmark. Harmful behavior (failing a drug test, not showing up to therapy, etc.) can reset your number of chances to win.

Contingency management helps stop the misuse of substances, and when it goes hand-in-hand with behavioral therapies, it can lead to sustained sobriety and a successful long-term recovery. Understanding what is beneath addiction, from trauma to mental health disorders, combined with the rewards-based system of CM, leads to great results.

Benefits of Contingency Management Addiction Treatment

Some proven benefits of contingency management in Lexington, KY include:

• Lasting engagement – The immediate reinforcement that CMT offers helps people in early recovery stay in treatment, which leads to positive outcomes.
• Specific and attainable goals – The acronym SMART refers to goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. CMT provides a proven way to achieve the specific, attainable goal of sobriety with the ability to measure your success. Sobriety is a highly relevant aspect of your recovery, along with self-awareness and mental clarity. CMT helps you track your progress and adjust your specific goals along the way.
• Personal empowerment – The immediate and measurable results of CMT lead to increased self-awareness and confidence, which in turns enhance all aspects of recovery.
• Long-term recovery – When negative drug tests and other sobriety benchmarks become associated with rewards, your thinking patterns change, which leads to ongoing behaviors that reflect that change, namely, sobriety.

Addiction treatment programs that offer both behavioral therapies and contingency management therapy will provide you with a strong therapeutic structure for achieving your recovery goals.