This project has been funded by the National Centre for Clinical Research on Emerging Drugs (NCCRED) and is being run at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Drug and Alcohol Service with researchers from the School of Psychology, University of Wollongong.
Cognitive remediation in community-based alcohol and other drug treatment
Previous research has shown that people in drug and alcohol treatment can often have problems with thinking, memory, planning and problem-solving and that these problems may be helped by cognitive training.
The aim of this project is to trial the ACE cognitive remediation program in an outpatient setting. This program has been previously trialled in residential drug and alcohol treatment services.
The ACE -Flex cognitive remediation program is made up of 10 one-hour group-based sessions, that are run twice a week for five weeks
Each session focuses on strategy training, which includes education, group discussion and reflection, and exercises to demonstrate the key points that are learned in the program.
Topics include
- Memory strategies
- Attention strategies
- Developing self-awareness
- Developing time awareness
- Goal setting and planning
- Inhibition or impulse control strategies
- Visual and verbal working memory
- Changing self-talk
- Managing emotions and moods
- Decision making and problem solving
The aim of this study is to understand if people attending drug and alcohol treatment in non-residential settings or out-patient settings, find the program to be helpful.
For further information about this research, please have a look at the client information sheet.
If you would like to be part of this research or want more information about the study, please call 0438 131 206.