Miller
earns award, funding for abuse prevention
By Dan
Ware
UNM
Psychology and Psychiatry Professor Dr. William R. Miller, who
pioneered a leading method of substance abuse treatment, has
been named one of five 2003 recipients of the Innovators Combating
Substance Abuse award by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
A Distinguished
Professor and a member of the faculty for 27 years, Miller is
a researcher with the Universitys Center on Alcohol and
Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA).
The award
was presented to Miller for his work, including Motivational
Interviewing, a form of treatment for alcohol and substance
abuse he introduced, designed to evoke peoples internal
motivation for change in health behaviors
As part
of the award, Miller will received $300,000 to fund new innovations
and research into substance abuse prevention.
Miller
plans to initiate four new projects revolving around alcohol
and drug addiction.
The first
project, in collaboration with the UNM Department of Family
and Community Medicine, explores interventions for substance
abuse through primary health care.
Miller
plans to convene a group of leading researchers and scientists
in fall 2004 to look at new ways to combat substance abuse.
The approach would be to start from scratch, drawing upon current
scientific findings without taking for granted any current delivery
systems of brand name treatments. The goal is to
create new and innovative ideas to eventually put into practice.
A third
program will look at all current studies and analyses of Motivational
Interviewing to determine the overall impact of this treatment,
trying to clarify the methods effect on health problems.
Finally,
inspired by the example he saw at the Nanizhoozhi Center
in Gallup, N.M., Miller wants to study the introduction of spirituality
into the treatment of substance abuse. Nanizhoozhi
incorporates Navajo spirituality as an integral part of their
treatment methods, Miller said. It occurs to me
that we could similarly draw on historic Judeo-Christian spirituality
that is the heritage of many Americans who seek treatment for
substance abuse.
The spirituality
component would be offered to patients as an adjunct to their
existing treatment.
Millers
Motivational Interviewing and its therapy counterpart, Motivational
Enhancement Therapy, have been tested in dozens of studies with
alcohol and drug dependencies as well as with other behavioral
problems. A worldwide network of Motivational Interview trainers
continue to teach Millers method to others.
For more
information about the Robert Wood Johnson award or Motivational
Interviewing, log on to the following web sites: http://newsroom.mbooth.com/sainnovators/
and www.motivationalinterview.org