Integrating skills training and motivational therapies: Implications for the treatment of substance dependence

Explores how treatments for substance abuse can draw from and integrate coping skills training and motivational interviewing strategies. The authors argue that, in practice, the 2 treatments have more in common than is often described, and that integration of the approaches should provide maximum flexibility for therapists to meet the needs of clients. The histories, conceptual bases, and potential distinctiveness of each treatment is reviewed, followed by critiques of conceptual separation of the treatments, and suggested models and techniques for their integration. As recovery from addictive patterns often requires learning over time and typically involves relapses and multiple quit attempts, therapeutic support for relapse prevention is seen as requiring assessment and support of both why one might pursue change (motivation) and how one can best be successful (skills). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)