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| Reviewed: |
Nov 01, 2004 by Psychology |
| Overview: |
The website is a simple one dedicated to offering alternative ideas about
addiction treatment (alternatives to the mainstream abstinence/12-step view). It
began in 1995 as a Harm Reduction site, and has evolved to including articles
discussing a cognitive model of depression and addiction and
depression/addiction treatment.
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| Learning Goals: |
It seems that the major learning goals of the site are as follows:
1) The reader will learn about Harm Reduction as an alternative and/or adjunct
model of addiction treatment for him/herself or family member and;
2) The reader will understand depression/addiction and their treatment from a
cognitive-behavioral perspective.
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| Target Student Population: |
Any student or counselor studying addiction treatment and/or depression. The
material is quite straightforward and accessible,
though the articles are long.
Probably best for undergraduates.
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| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
A minimal ability to navigate the internet would be helpful. Some knowledge of
traditional addiction treatment modalities would help put the information in
context.
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| Type of Material: |
Material includes articles written by Robert Westermeyer and a colleague
regarding Harm Reduction, "Codependency," and a cognitive model of depression
and depression treatment. The opening page includes a self-scoring alcohol
check-up. There is also a somewhat interactive multi-media presentation of the
cognitive model of depression.
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| Recommended Uses: |
This site can be used in introductory substance abuse treatment courses at both
the community college and university levels. It would also be very useful as
material for an in-service training for addiction counselors who only know about
abstinence and disease-model thinking. Students studying approaches to
addiction treatment, as well as those studying cognitive theories of depression,
could be referred to this site for additional information.
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| Technical Requirements: |
Some parts of the site require Flash, but most do not.
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| Strengths: |
The greatest strength of this website is its open look at a non-abstinence
approach to addiction treatment without harshly criticizing 12-step models. The
article on codependency is particularly informative. The first
paragraph of the article provides the reader with a hint about where Westermeyer
takes the reader: "The now tenacious attachment of the disease model and
12-step philosophy to caring behavior, commonly known as codependency,
represents to me the most confusing, and iatrogenic ideas in the realm of
clinical psychology. This popular construct is shunned by research psychologists
and behaviorally- oriented clinical psychologists particularly for it's lack of
empirical support." The article goes on to explain that caring has been
relegated to "disease" status in our culture, and explains with vivid examples
why that development is, in and of itself, pathological. An excellent article
which should be read by everyone who loves an addict or who works in the field
of addiction treatment.
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| Concerns: |
The design of the website is rather simple: too much text for the average
visitor. The segment on depression is, well, a bit depressing. The male voice
speaking on the multi-media audio clips has an intonation that sounds as though
he is talking to a child at times. Perhaps it is meant to be a caring tone that
misses the mark without a look at the speaker's non-verbal cues. The
presentation is necessarily reflective of the author's bias and must be
viewed in that context.
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
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| Strengths: |
If nothing else, this website is especially effective for eliciting critical
thinking about addiction treatment alternatives. Again, the article on
codependency is a must-read for human services/addiction counseling students.
The site offers a well-explained discussion of the cognitive approach to
addiction and depression.
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| Concerns: |
The website color and design are not particularly inviting. The site is only
effective in presenting one perspective; all links to twelve-step resources were
dead at the time the site was reviewed.
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
| Rating: |
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| Strengths: |
Very easy to navigate.
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| Concerns: |
Some parts require Flash and there are many deadlinks, including links to the
author's own work.
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