Reconceptualizing Relapse Prevention: Addressing Patients’ Unique Needs

In this presentation, participants will analyze the importance of understanding a client’s unique background for successful relapse prevention. We will review current relapse prevention research and data to will examine effective strategies and approaches, as well as perceived gaps in knowledge, practice, and patient outcomes. Kalmenson will introduce his emerging Discovery Model – which envisions a next step forward in relapse prevention. Informed by the successes and failures reflected in research data, the Discovery Model offers a new holistic lens for viewing optimized patient outcomes based off of individualized treatment strategies. Research suggests that a critical element of relapse prevention is the identification of clients’ unique high-risk situations (Witkiewitz & Marlatt, 2007), and as such, the Discovery model proposes grouping relapse stressors into three categories: unresolved mental health, circumstantial, and intrinsic. Participants will examine the most effective and specialized strategies for reducing stressors and increasing patient outcomes for each unique category.