Behavioral Treatment for Substance Abuse

A Pilot Study of Two Group-based Intervention Programs for Patients With Substance Abuse Problems

This pilot project will evaluate a new mind-body intervention called Mind-Body Bridging (MBB) for reducing substance abuse problems in women who are undergoing a substance abuse treatment program. The main hypothesis is that MBB will be more effective than the control (standard) intervention program in helping people reduce their craving for illicit substances and/or alcohol.

This is a randomized clinical pilot study in which MBB will be compared with a standard treatment program for substance abuse. Both groups will run concurrently over the course of a 10-week period, twice per week.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Substance abuse or dependence
• Resident/day client in the House of Hope substance abuse treatment program
• Minimum stay in treatment at House of Hope for 3.5 months
• Fluent in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Psychosis
• Suicide risk
• Dementia
• Significant withdrawal risk
• Severe, unstable depression
• Requires intensive mental health treatment
• Cognitive impairment