One Program’s Transition to Research-Based Strategies for Treating Methamphetamine Abuse

Prairie Ridge Addiction Treatment Services turned to SAMHSA’s Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 33, “Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders,” to try to establish more effective practices for their fast-growing population of methamphetamine-addicted clients. Six years later, Prairie Ridge’s executive director says that adopting the TIP’s client-based treatment philosophy has enhanced the program’s accessibility and results, not only for stimulant-abusing clients, but others as well. In this article he recounts how the TIP contents meshed with Prairie Ridge’s preexisting treatment philosophy and practices; what they adopted and what they adapted from the TIP and why; counselors’ responses during the transition; and outstanding issues.