Therapeutic Communities: A Family-Centered Approach to Drug Addiction
Brieland, Christine Grant
This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/68864
Description
Title
Therapeutic Communities: A Family-Centered Approach to Drug Addiction
Author(s)
Brieland, Christine Grant
Issue Date
1983
Department of Study
Education
Discipline
Education
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Education, Educational Psychology
Abstract
This dissertation focuses on therapeutic communities as one of the efforts being made to help persons who are abusing drugs. Therapeutic communities are drug-free residential treatment centers for drug addicts. They are committed to a treatment plan based on the belief that drug addiction is a human rather than a chemical dilemma and that the family milieu is the center of drug abuse treatment.
The major purpose of the study is to portray life in a therapeutic community in order to provide a vicarious experience using language, at times the residents' words, to make the world of the therapeutic community more accessible. It is the writer's intent, not so much to evaluate therapeutic communities as to describe and analyze them; to add to existing knowledge about therapeutic communities, and to further understanding of them.
The recommended way to learn about therapeutic communities is to experience them. For those persons who wish to have some knowledge of the treatment plan and who have not yet visited a therapeutic community the writer would describe the treatment plan as representing: (1) a caring family approach to healing; (2) a place to grow and to outgrow; (3) a setting dedicated to maximizing human potential; (4) a view of man which insists he is not fragile; (5) the use of confrontation, followed by reflection, and reconciliation as the major tool for furthering self-awareness; and (6) a lifestyle dominated by the values of honesty, responsibility, and involvement.
In the United States there are therapeutic communities in forty-seven states. In the World Federation of Therapeutic Communities all continents are represented. The existence of Therapeutic Communities in all parts of the world indicates not only the extent of the response to drug addiction but also the scope of the problem.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
