Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps clients to understand the thoughts and feelings that influence behaviors and helps them anticipate likely problems and enhance their self-control by helping them develop effective coping strategies. Specific techniques include exploring the positive and negative consequences of continued drug use, self-monitoring to recognize cravings early and identify situations that might put one at risk for use, and developing strategies for coping with cravings and avoiding those high-risk situations. CBT is one of the most extensively researched forms of psychotherapy. There are now over 325 published outcome studies on cognitive-behavioral interventions.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a directive, goal-directed, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. The operational assumption in MI is that ambivalent attitudes or lack of resolve is the primary obstacle to behavioral change, so that the examination and resolution of ambivalence becomes its key goal. MI has been implemented extensively at hundreds of sites worldwide since 1983. Hundreds of thousands of participants have received the brief MI intervention described in this summary, which has been evaluated in at least 22 research studies for problem drinking alone. Areas in which positive outcomes have been documented include alcohol and drug use, crime/delinquency, family/relationships, social functioning, trauma/injuries, and treatment/recovery.

Through the Adult Civil Citation program, clients can also participate in Interactive Journaling (IJ) an evidence-based program created by the Change Companies. Industry heavyweights James Prochaska, Ph.D. (developer of the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change) and William Miller, Ph.D. (one of the developers of Motivational Interviewing) serve as senior advisors to provide ongoing independent consulting, clinical oversight, and recommendations. IJ blends core behavior-change content in combination with targeted questioning designed to engage participants in exploring risks, needs and skill deficits, as well as strengths, resources and solutions to problem behaviors. In the course of gathering immediate and relevant information related to problems areas, participants can map out where they have been, where they are and where they wish to go.

IJ is both a theory-based intervention approach and an adaptable delivery mechanism for therapeutic content. Interactive journals are change-focused, participant-driven materials designed to evoke client motivation for change and enhance the therapeutic engagement between providers and participants. The current evaluated applications of IJ represent refinement of the method over a 22-year period in collaboration with single state agencies, clinical treatment programs, correctional facilities, university research institutes, and individual feedback provided by more than 4,000 clients.