The Therapeutic Community

George De Leon, PhD, is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of substance abuse and is acknowledged as the leading authority on research in therapeutic communities. He is the director of the Center for Therapeutic Community Research (CTCR) at National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI), funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at New York University.

List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments


Part I: Introduction
Therapeutic Communities: Evolution and the Need for Theory
In Search of an Essential Therapeutic Community

Part II: The Perspective and Approach
View of the Disorder
View of the Person
View of Recovery and Right Living
The Community Approach

Part III: The Model
The Physical Environment
The Social Organization
Work: Therapeutic and Educational Elements
Staff in the Therapeutic Community
Peers in the Therapeutic Community
Relationships
Program Stages

Part IV: Therapeutic Community Methods
Privileges and Sanctions
Surveillance and Security
Community Meetings
Community Groups
The Encounter Group

Part V: The Process of Change
Individual Change: Behaviors, Cognitions, and Emotions
Individual Change: Essential Experiences
Individual Change: Essential Perceptions
The Individual in the Community: Participation in the Change Process
Internalization and Identity
The Treatment Process: A Conceptual Framework
Therapeutic Communities: The Challenge of Evolution


References
Appendixes
A: Glossary of Therapeutic Community Terms
B: Therapeutic Community Philosophies
C: Assessment Instruments Available for Use in Therapeutic Communities
Index