• Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening by Robert J. Meyers and Brenda L. Wolfe has received the Association of Behavior and Cognitive Therapy Self Help Book Seal of Merit Award. This program is an effort by the Association to educate the general public on the benefits of empirically supported treatment. To earn the ABCT Self-Help Book Seal of Merit, a book must meet the following criteria:
  • employ cognitive and/or behavioral principles
  • discuss cognitive and/or behavioral principles or theories explicitly in text
  • have documented empirical support that lends support for the methods presented
  • include no suggestions or methods that are contraindicated by scientific evidence
  • present treatment methods that have consistent evidence for their effectiveness (books describing methods without a consistent track record of empirical support, or mixed evidence, would not be eligible)
  • be consistent with best practices
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be returning to Ireland and Wales in early 2012 for several CRAFT and ACRA trainings. He will begin his trainings in Cork, Ireland on February 21st through February 24th for the HSE South Alcohol and Addiction Services, Arbour House, St. Finbar's Hospital. Dr. Meyers will divide his training time between ACRA and CRAFT. He will then travel to Galway, Ireland to hold a 2 day CRAFT training on February 26th and 27th for the Western Region Drug Task Force. Contact Orla Irwin for more information at orla.irwin@hse.ie.
  
  
• New Testimonials:
  • As the Co-ordinator of the Blancardstown Drugs Task Force I am responsible for development and implementation of drug strategy in this part of Ireland, and we have placed an emphasis on Evidence Based Approaches for the treatment of substance use disorders. The most significant action we have taken began in 2010 when we invited Dr. Robert J. Meyers to begin to train frontline addiction specialists from a range of different sectors, disciplines and agencies in CRA & CRAFT. It was such a huge success that we invited Dr. Meyers back several times and have had him train nearly 200 substance use workers from all over Ireland from a wide range of different backgrounds and addiction philosophies. The non judgemental, positive and structured nature of the CRA models has really appealed to addiction specialists here and in fact it complements other existing models as well is a huge plus.
    
    In fact CRA & CRAFT were so well received that over 80 substance abuse workers trained by Dr. Meyers have followed through with the certification process. CRA & CRAFT are being embraced in Ireland because of the significant positive outcomes that we have already seen since their introduction in 2010. We have built an outstanding positive relationship with Dr. Meyers and his team of coders and supervisors which has made implementation successful and helped to create a new standard in addiction treatment. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Dr. Meyers and his staff for many years to come to assure sustainability and fidelity with CRA & CRAFT models of treatment.
    Brid Walsh, Co-ordinator, Blanchardstown Local Drugs Task Force, Ireland.
    
    
  • TASC began using ACRA/ACC within the context of case management in 2009, and staff and clients alike loved the ease of the model. The outcomes from using the model were so successful we decided to expand and also use the CRAFT model as well. We have had a high demand for CRAFT services for our clients who are involved with the criminal justice system. We have also seen success in using CRAFT with our drug courts in that Concerned Significant Others are able to motivate clients towards change and ultimately see them through successful graduation of the program. Family member and parents love the model and have seen a tremendous impact on their loved ones. Our referral sources are incredibly impressed with both ACRA and CRAFT and are requesting their clients receive these services. Dr. Meyers make is so easy to learn and use these evidenced based treatment approaches. His workshops are not only informative but they are actually fun to attend
    Lilas Rajaee
    Program Director
    Denver Juvenile and Family Justice TASC Project
  
  
  
  • Well motivated by Bob Meyers' CRAFT training, the staff at the Cardiff Alcohol and Drug Team went on to complete their CRAFT certification, (which was organised very efficiently and with great positivity), with much enthusiasm and spirit. Their work has excelled through the process and the client feedback is consistently positive. Outcomes both for CSOs and IPs improved significantly; the team are consistently achieving at least 70% of CSOs entering treatment with the same number reporting a reduction in substance use and most significantly over 90% of CSOs scoring higher on emotional functioning and wellbeing. Undertaking CRAFT training and certification has improved the teams practice, morale and efficiency, it's been a mini-revolution within the team!
    Charlotte Waite, Family Interventions Co-ordinator, Cardiff Council, UK
  
  
  
  • After attending Dr. Meyers' CRAFT training, I was very eager to put his concepts to work and begin the process of becoming a certified CRAFT therapist. Working as a family therapist in addictions treatment, I was so grateful to have more tools to offer my clients than just setting boundaries and taking care of themselves. I now teach family members how to strategically promote sober behavior and practice positive communication skills, while their relationships improve and they start to feel more in control of their lives again. The results are amazing! My clients have told me they feel more successful using the CRAFT skills than anything they have ever tried with their loved one before. I have seen the CRAFT intervention method transform my clients from hopelessness to seeing their loved ones get sober and have the relationships they want. Jessi from the Family Program at DePaul Treatment Centers in Portland Oregon, she can be reached at 612-703-7556.
  
  
  
  
  

PAST EVENTS:

• Dr. Meyers will be traveling to Australia to assist The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, and Lyndon Community in adapting the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) for the project, Community Reinforcement and Family Training for Rural Aboriginal Families. Dr. Meyers will be in Australia from April 28th until May 5th. A 3-day training on the (CRAFT) protocol will be held May 2nd - 4th in Orange, New South Wales, Australia.
  
  
• Upcoming training: Supporting Psychological Interventions Across Scotland
  Stirling Management Centre, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA
  Tuesday 25 - Thursday 27 January 2011
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be returning to Ireland for 7 days of training for the Blanchardstown Local Drugs Task Force. Dr. Meyers is scheduled to hold trainings in ACRA, CRA, and CRAFT from November 29th through December 7th.
  
  
• LaCrosse Tribune article - Positive approach to treat addicts shows promise
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be holding a 2 ˝ day CRAFT training on October 4th, 5th & 6th. This will be his last CRAFT training for 2010. The training will be held at Chestnut Health Services Training Center in Bloomington Illinois. Final details will be announced soon on both this website and the Chestnut Health Services website. Participants will be limited and all participants will receive signed copies of his book “Get your loved One Sober.”
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be speaking at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City for Grand Rounds on June 30th at 10:00 am until 11:30 am.
  
  
• Dr. Meyers has been invited to give a Lecture on the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) on March 24th at 1900 at the prestigious University of Dublin, Trinity College. Trinity College is one of the oldest and most historic Universities in the world, being founded in 1592.
  
  
• In March of 2010, Dr. Meyers will be conducting 3 trainings in the United Kingdom. Dr. Meyers will begin his training with 2 days of training on Adolescent Community Reinforcement (A-CRA) in Cardiff Wales for the Strengthening Families Programme on March 9th, 10th and on March 11th there will be short refresher class on CRAFT.
  
  Next Dr. Meyers will travel to Newcastle upon Tyne England to present 2 ˝ days of training on the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) March 16th, 17th, and on the 18th for partnerships in the North East of England.
  
  The last training of his trip will take place in Dublin, Ireland with four days of training, 2 days on the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) and two days on the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA). This training will be held on March 22nd, 23rd, 24th & 25th for the Blanchardstown Local Drug Task Force. I am happy and sad to say that his workshop is filled; we will not be able to handle any additional participants.
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be the Keynote speaker for the Northwest Regional Conference sponsored by The College of Southern Idaho Health & Human Services Department on April 16th 2010. Dr. Meyers will be giving a second training; both presentations will be on the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) program.
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be presenting a full day of training on Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) for Thedacare Behavioral Health in Way Neenah, Wisconsin on June 11th 2010. 6 Hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) will be awarded to all participants.
  
  
• Dr. Meyers has been has been invited to give the B. F. Skinner Lecture at the 2010 convention of the Association for Behavior Analysis International ABAI). The 36th annual convention takes place May 28 ­- June 1 in San Antonio, Texas.
  
  
• The Journal of Behavior Analysis in Health, Sports, Fitness and Medicine has devoted an entire issue on CRA and CRAFT. You can download these articles from their website at http://www.baojournal.com/ and click on JBAHFM then go to current issue. There are 7 articles from authors from 3 different countries on a variety of CRA issues.
  
  
• TWO NEW ARTICLES JUST RELEASED
  
  A new article on CRAFT has just been published, Smith, J.E., & Meyers, R.J. (2009) Working with family members of treatment-resistant substance abusers: What independent practitioners should know. It can be found in the APA journal The Independent Practitioner, Summer 2009, Volume 29, Number 3.
  
  A new 90 page chapter on A-CRA has just been published, Godley, S.H., Smith, J.E. Meyers, R.J., & Godley, M.D. (2009). Adolescent community reinforcement approach (A-CRA). This chapter can be found in D.W. Springer, & A. Rubin (Eds.), Substance abuse treatment for youth and adults. John Wiley & Sons, Inc Hoboken New Jersey.
  
  
• NEW REVIEW: From the Family Journal, Volume, 17, No.2, April 2009
  
  Motivating Substance Abusers to Enter Treatment: Working with Family Members (2008). Jane Ellen Smith & Robert J. Meyers, New York: Guilford Press.
  
  At some point in their careers, all counselors encounter families who are struggling with a loved one's refusal to get help for substance abuse or dependence. Typically, responses available to clinicians have included only two options: either a confrontational intervention by family and friends or encouragement not to enable their loved one, and learning to detach with love, by attending a support group such as Al-Anon. This book presents a different way: an empirically based, non-confrontational therapy program designed for the concerned significant other (CSO) who wants to motivate a partner or family member to get help. I found the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) approach, presented by authors Smith and Meyers, to be progressive in its basic premises, practical, and generally applicable to counselors working in a variety of settings. The text begins with a general description and overview of the CRAFT Intervention Program, including a fine discussion of the requirements for being a competent practitioner of this approach. The inclusion of sample of conversations with CSOs as well as a review of some family therapy spouse inventories were particularly useful. The heart of the book is chapter4, in which the authors conduct a functional analysis of a problem behavior, with the main goal being to alter the identified patient's (IP) substance use by changing how the CSO interacts with the IP. This may sound like an oversimplification of a complex process, but the text addresses not only how the CSO can reward sober behavior but also the importance of problem solving and self-care. For those clinicians who may not be confident in their knowledge of drinking or using behavior, the text provides vivid examples and a step-by-step process for getting started, guiding the CSO, identifying short term- and long-term consequences for both the IP and the CSO, and ultimately how to help get the substance abuser into treatment.
  
  Edward P. Cannon, Marymount University, Arlington Virginia
  
  
• Smith, J. E., & Meyers, R. J., (2009). Community reinforcement and family training. In G.L. Fisher & N.A. Roget’s (Eds.), Encyclopedia of substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
  
  
• Advances in Management of Alcohol Use Disorders and Intimate Partner Violence: Community Reinforcement and Family Training
  By Hendrik G. Roozen, Eric Blaauw, and Robert J. Meyers. This article was released April 24, 2009. Go to the download page for more information or to download the complete article.
  
  
• Motivating Substance Abusers to Enter Treatment: Working with Family Members is now available in Korean.
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be holding 3 day training in Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) at Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom on September 9th, 10th and 11th.
  
  
• Dr. Meyers will be presenting a Plenary address titled "History and Effectiveness of the Community Reinforcement Approach", on the morning of September 16th during the 2nd Annual German Congress on Addictions being held in Cologne Germany from September 16 to 19, 2009. In addition Dr. Meyers will be holding a one day training on "Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) as a pre-conference workshop on September 15th. Check their website for more information at www.suchtkongress09.de
  
  
• New CRA and CRAFT related articles are available on the Downloads page.
  
  
• Here is a new article about the use of CRA in Germany
  
  
• HBO's vaunted 14-part documentary "Addiction" has won an Emmy award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The series was honored with the Governors Award, the Academy's highest honor, which is given in recognition of programming that demonstrates commitment to important social causes. Click here to see the schedule of upcoming showings on HBO.
  
  
• Motivating Substance Abusers to Enter Treatment: Working With Family Members is now available in Finnish and will be available in Korean sometime in 2008.
  
  
• A Clinical Guide To Alcoholism: The Community Reinforcement Approach is now available in German and Dutch.
  
  
• Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading, and Threatening now available in Finnish.
  
  
• Robert J. Meyers is featured in the January 2007 issue of O: The Oprah Magazine

Pictures from the Albuquerque Premiere of the Emmy Award-winning HBO Special