Therapy by Contingencies of Reinforcement (TCR) and substance dependence: A clinical case presentation

Abstract

Therapy by Contingencies of Reinforcement (TCR) is a behavioral therapy committed to the vision of mankind proposed by Radical Behaviorism (RB), the Behavioral Science (BS) methodology for investigating and understanding interactions between the organism and the environment, and behavior change procedures technologically described and conceptually consistent with BS. TCR and BS interpret substance abuse and dependence as classifications under the control of a pattern of drug use that causes adverse consequences for the individual and others. The TCR advocates that in the care of clients who present substance abuse, the psychotherapist relies on the laws of BS that govern human behavior and knowledge of the effects of psychoactive substances (PAS) to understand and intervene in an individualized manner. The objectives of this chapter are to describe (a) the fundamental characteristics of TCR, (b) the process of TCR's case conceptualization, (c) the contingencies of reinforcement therapist actions in cases involving PAS, and (d) to present an illustrative clinical case.