The third Core associated with our Center is the Dissemination Core. Interest in CM is growing, and CM is increasingly attracting attention of other researchers and clinicians across the country. Like other psychotherapies, and even pharmacotherapies, if the intervention is not implemented correctly (e.g., too low a dose, at inappropriate frequencies, etc.), it is unlikely to engender beneficial effects. At present, there is no centralized group of experienced CM investigators available for training or technical assistance in utilizing this intervention in practice. This Core, and our Center, will fill this gap. This Core will be charged with developing and integrating training materials that review central concepts of behavioral therapy in general, and CM in particular. They will describe necessary features of effective CM protocols and assist researchers and clinicians in better developing CM programs for unique clinical issues and settings. The Core will utilize materials and procedures created in our Data Management and Analysis Core to track and monitor progress of patients over time, and provide information about subgroups of patients for whom CM may be most useful or cost effective. The Core will also make available efficient procedures for purchasing and tracking reinforcers, developed within our Administrative Core. Another main, and unique, responsibility of this Core will be to develop and implement adherence and competence methods for monitoring delivery of CM in practice. In doing so, this Core's activities will cut across our existing CM projects and ensure the quality of CM delivery. Procedures and techniques utilized in our CM studies will be made available to other researchers and clinicians for facilitating adoption of CM in practice. To facilitate these missions, this Core will develop written and interactive materials and institute CM supervision and certification procedures. After materials have been developed and instituted with our staff, we will host at least annual CM training days, open to providers and clinicians free of charge. We will also create a CM training web site and establish a CM Online Community and Helpline (available via email or phone). Through these efforts, this Center will guide training, problem solving, and monitoring CM delivery in practice; in doing so, this Center is likely to stimulate new CM projects and bring this empirically-validated treatment into more widespread use in practice.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter