| Course | ADC 665 Advanced Addiction Theories |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | Individualization paper |
| Length | About 1,059 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Psychology and Addiction Studies |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for ADC 665 Module 4
Fitting Treatment to the Person: Problems, Services and Style
Student Name
Psychology and Addiction Studies Program, Aspen University
ADC 665: Advanced Addiction Theories
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Fitting Treatment to the Person: Problems, Services and Style
Curtis returned to the program's notice in an earlier module, when his counselor, Renee, recognized her own frustration after his third relapse. With the alliance repaired, she turned to his treatment plan. Curtis drinks heavily on his two weeks home between offshore rotations, especially on his first night back. He bristles at instructions: when a previous counselor told him he "had to" attend meetings, he stopped coming. Curtis and Renee are fictional, built for teaching. This paper asks how his treatment can fit him.
Two Meanings of Individualized
Individualized treatment can mean two different things. One is client-treatment matching: assigning a person to a particular therapy because of traits such as severity, personality or motivation. The other is problem-service matching: keeping core treatment evidence-based while adding services for the specific problems a person brings, such as unemployment, family conflict or depression. A third element, adjusting counseling style to the person, cuts across both. The evidence for these differs considerably.
Matching by Traits
Project MATCH Research Group (1997) tested the first idea on a large scale. Clients were assigned at random to cognitive behavioral, motivational enhancement or twelve-step facilitation therapy, and researchers tested whether client characteristics predicted which therapy worked best. Few of the predicted matches appeared. The three therapies produced similar outcomes, and knowing a client's traits did little to improve the choice among them. For Curtis, this suggests that agonizing over which therapy brand to use is less important than delivering a good one well.
Matching Services to Problems
McLellan et al. (1997) tested the second idea. Patients in outpatient treatment had their problems assessed in areas such as employment, family relations and psychiatric health. Those who received services targeted to their specific problems, for example employment counseling for those with work problems, stayed in treatment longer, were more likely to complete it and had better outcomes than patients receiving standard care. Individualizing in this sense means asking what else is going wrong in a person's life and making sure it is addressed.
| Curtis's problem | Evidence of it | Matched service | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drinking on weeks home | Relapses all began on first night back | Cognitive behavioral relapse prevention focused on homecoming | Renee |
| Family reintegration | Feels like "a stranger" at home | Couple sessions with his wife; family check-ins | Program family counselor |
| Rotation schedule | Misses half of weekly groups | Sessions scheduled around rotations; phone check-ins offshore | Renee |
| Sleep and mood | Poor sleep for days after return | Medical review; screening for depression | Program physician |
| Job risk | Employer drug testing | Information on confidentiality and employee assistance | Renee, with consent |
Matching Style to the Person
Karno and Longabaugh (2005) analyzed Project MATCH data to test whether counselor directiveness interacted with client reactance, a tendency to resist perceived control. Reactant clients whose therapists were less directive drank less after treatment than reactant clients with more directive therapists. Style, in other words, mattered for a specific kind of client. Curtis's history of leaving when told he "had to" attend meetings suggested high reactance.
A Style Plan for Curtis
Renee changed how she worked with him. She offered options rather than instructions: "Some people find a meeting helps on their first night home, some find a call to someone works better, some prefer a plan with family. Which of those fits you?" She asked permission before giving information. She reflected his own reasons for change, such as wanting his children to stop being nervous around him, rather than her reasons. And she accepted his decision to try phone check-ins before meetings, agreeing to review it after one rotation.
Checking the Fit
Individualizing is not finished at intake. After each rotation, Renee and Curtis review whether he drank on his first night home, whether the couple sessions were helping and whether he attended scheduled sessions. If problems persist in one area, the service for that area changes. McLellan et al. (1997) found benefits from ongoing attention to problems, not a single assignment.
Assessing Problems Systematically
McLellan et al. (1997) used a structured assessment that covered several life areas, so that problems outside substance use were not missed. Renee did the same with Curtis, asking about medical health, employment, legal matters, family and social relationships and psychiatric symptoms. Some areas were fine: he had no legal problems and his physical health was good apart from sleep. Others had been missed in earlier treatment. No one had asked how his rotation schedule affected his attendance or what it was like to come home after two weeks away. The structured review turned vague impressions into a list of specific problems that could each be matched to a service.
Curtis's Wife
The family reintegration problem could not be addressed by Curtis alone. With his consent, Renee invited his wife, Monique, to a session. Monique described the first night home from her side: the children excited, then anxious when he started drinking, and her own resentment at managing the house alone for two weeks and then being expected to step back. Hearing it helped Curtis see the evening differently. The couple agreed to plan the first evening together before each return, by phone from the platform.
Working Around the Rotation
The schedule problem was practical but important. Curtis had missed half of the program's weekly groups because he was offshore for two weeks at a time. Renee arranged two sessions during each week home, one on his first or second day back, the highest-risk period, and a phone check-in in the middle of each offshore rotation. This was a service matched to a problem that standard scheduling had ignored, and it was the change Curtis said made the most difference.
The Employer Question
Curtis worried that his employer would learn about his treatment through drug testing. Renee explained the confidentiality protections for substance use treatment records and the employee assistance program available through his company. With that information, he decided to keep his treatment private for now and to revisit the question if his employer's policies changed.
Conclusion
Project MATCH found little benefit from assigning clients to therapies by traits, McLellan and colleagues found that matching services to specific problems improved outcomes and Karno and Longabaugh found that less directive counseling helped reactant clients. For Curtis, individualizing means a problem-service plan built around his rotations and a counseling style that respects his need for choice.
References
Karno, M. P., & Longabaugh, R. (2005). Less directiveness by therapists improves drinking outcomes of reactant clients in alcoholism treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(2), 262-267. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.73.2.262
McLellan, A. T., Grissom, G. R., Zanis, D., Randall, M., Brill, P., & O'Brien, C. P. (1997). Problem-service "matching" in addiction treatment: A prospective study in 4 programs. Archives of General Psychiatry, 54(8), 730-735. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1997.01830200062008
Project MATCH Research Group. (1997). Matching alcoholism treatments to client heterogeneity: Project MATCH posttreatment drinking outcomes. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58(1), 7-29. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsa.1997.58.7
ADC 665 Module 4 instructions, in plain terms
Module 4 of ADC 665 usually asks for a paper on individualizing treatment. Check the Module 4 instructions in your Aspen course for the exact focus; the client here is invented. Explain what individualized treatment means and distinguish approaches to it. Review evidence on matching clients to therapies, on matching services to problems and on adjusting counseling style. Assess a client's specific problems and characteristics. Propose services and a style matched to them, with reasons. Say how you will check whether the fit is working. Use APA 7 references, and avoid suggesting that every client needs a unique therapy invented for them; individualizing usually means combining well-supported elements thoughtfully. Name who provides each matched service and how you will coordinate them.
Inside the ADC 665 Module 4 example
Curtis, the composite client from earlier modules, drinks most on his weeks home from offshore rotations and pushes back when told what to do. Project MATCH tested whether client traits should decide which of three therapies a person received and found little benefit. McLellan and colleagues found that patients who received services matched to their specific problems stayed longer and did better. Karno and Longabaugh, analyzing MATCH data, found that reactant clients did better with less directive therapists. A five-row table matches Curtis's problems to services, and a style plan uses choices, questions and his own words rather than instructions. Outcome checks follow each rotation. His employer's testing policy is handled through information and consent.
Reading the ADC 665 Module 4 grading rubric
A strong individualization paper separates matching by traits from matching services to problems and uses evidence for each. This example reports Project MATCH's largely null matching results honestly and then shows where individualizing has stronger support. Curtis's problems are assessed one by one and matched to specific services, with providers named. The style plan turns the reactance finding into concrete behavior: offering options, asking permission and reflecting his reasons. The paper also plans how to check the fit after each rotation, so individualizing becomes an ongoing process rather than a decision made once at intake. Curtis's own words appear in the plan, which shows the style adjustment in practice.
ADC 665 Module 4 help from the desk
Individualization papers often claim to tailor treatment without saying what was tailored or why. Distinguish client-treatment matching, which has weak evidence, from problem-service matching and style adjustment, which have more. Assess the client's actual problems, such as work, family, health and legal issues, and match services to each. If the client resists direction, change your style rather than labeling him resistant. Name how you will check the fit. Keep the core treatment evidence-based; individualizing adjusts how and what is delivered, not whether evidence matters. Remember that a client's traits can change; review the style plan as often as the services.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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ADC 665 Module 4 questions, answered
What does ADC 665 Module 4 usually ask for?
Aspen's ADC 665 covers individualizing treatment in this module, so a paper matching services and style to one client with evidence is typical. Look at your Module 4 prompt for details.
Does matching clients to treatments work?
Project MATCH found that assigning clients to one of three therapies by their characteristics added little; the therapies produced similar outcomes overall.
What is problem-service matching?
Providing services for a client's specific problems, such as employment, family or psychiatric issues; McLellan and colleagues found it improved retention and outcomes.
Where can I find a free ADC 665 Module 4 sample paper?
This page has the complete paper: two meanings of individualized treatment, the evidence for each and a problem-service table and style plan for one client.
How should counselors work with clients who resist direction?
Karno and Longabaugh found that reactant clients drank less with less directive therapists, so offering choices and following the client's lead can help.