From Evidence to Practice: Contingency Management for the Treatment of Stimulant and Other Substance Use Disorders

Our speakers are Stephen T. Higgins, PhD, Director of UVM’s Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH) and Tyler G. Erath, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and VCBH. This presentation discusses evidence to support the effectiveness of contingency management (CM) as a treatment for stimulant use disorder and other substance use disorders (SUDs), reviews the current landscape of CM implementation in the United States, describes current challenges to using CM including in rural healthcare settings, and reviews the CM certificate course now available through VCBH and UVM’s Professional and Continuing Education.

Learning objectives:

1. Define and review the evidence for CM as a treatment for stimulant use disorder and other SUDs
2. Outline the evidence-based components of CM interventions 
3. Provide a 10,000-foot overview of the current CM implementation landscape in the US
4. Describe current contextual determinants to using CM and some efforts to overcome barriers including in rural healthcare environments
5. Review the UVM CM certificate course now available through VCBH and UVM’s Professional and Continuing Education

Speakers

Stephen T. Higgins, PhD,

Dr. Higgins is Director of UVM’s Vermont Center on Behavior and Health, and Principle Investigator with three NIH grants on the general topic of behavior and health. He is the Virginia H. Donaldson Endowed Professor of Translational Science in the Department of Psychological Science and serves as Vice Chair of Psychiatry. He has held many national scientific leadership positions, including terms as President of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence and the American Psychological Association’s Division on Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse. He is the author of more than 450 journal articles and invited book chapters and editor of a dozen volumes and therapist manuals in the area of behavior and health.

Tyler Erath, PhD

Dr. Tyler Erath is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health. Broadly, Dr. Erath’s research is focused on behavioral health, substance use disorders, and implementation science. A central goal of his research is to integrate evidence-based treatments into real-world, community-based settings. As a principal investigator on the statewide contingency management implementation project in Vermont, he provides training, coaching, and technical assistance to approximately 20 substance use providers with 30 locations across the state.