Perceived client and program moderators of successful therapeutic community treatment for drug addiction

Research examining moderators of therapeutic community treatment outcomes has tended to emphasize the importance of length of stay in programs. To this extent the research literature implies a causal role for treatment in the determination of treatment outcomes. Using the Delphi technique, a panel of residents, staff members, and other drug treatment agency staff involved with the Odyssey House therapeutic community in Melbourne were surveyed regarding their perceptions of factors moderating successful treatment in this program. Examination of the perceptions of those involved with the delivery of therapeutic community treatment suggested a strong respect for the importance of client motivational factors in the determination of treatment outcomes. It is suggested that future research in this area could profitably focus on attempts to quantify the separate contribution of treatment and nontreatment factors in explaining treatment outcomes.