A combined group and individual 12-step facilitative intervention targeting stimulant abuse in the NIDA Clinical Trials Network: STAGE-12.

This paper discusses a unique collaboration between researchers, addiction community treatment providers (CTPs) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in developing and implementing a multi-site clinical trial of a behavioral intervention for outpatients with stimulant use disorders. It begins with a description of the overall mission of NIDA’s National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trial Network (CTN), which provided the infrastructure for this study, then continues with details about the study’s adaptation of an combined individual and group intervention aiming to facilitate addicted patients’ active involvement in 12-step mutual support programs, study questions addressed, outcomes of the intervention, and why 12-step counseling approaches should be considered for a multi-site trial. The authors also discuss the structure and format of the STAGE-12 individual and group sessions, and the training and supervision of counselors through review of tapes of treatment sessions.

This process emphasizes the importance of bidirectional collaboration between researchers and treatment providers and shows evidence of how CTPs participate in all phases of a trial, from identifying an important clinical area for research through protocol development and implementation. Because CTPs highly value 12-step counseling interventions, the outcome of CTN-0031 will help inform clinical practice. Results of data analysis from the study will be presented in a future paper.

Related protocols: CTN-0031