Motivational Interviewing at Intake vs Intake as Usual on Client Engagement in Addiction Treatment

March 5, 2026 updated by: University of New Mexico

Adapting Intake Procedures to Improve Treatment Delivery in Addiction Treatment

This K23 study is an effectiveness-implementation hybrid type I design to determine the effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing at Intake (MII), relative to intake-as-usual on client engagement and mechanisms of engagement among adults seeking outpatient addiction treatment. We also will obtain personnel feedback on the feasibility of implementing MII into standard practice by having personnel from the addiction treatment study sites complete implementation climate measures before Motivational Interviewing (MI) training and post-clinical trial, as well as an individual interview on implementation feasibility post-trial.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
150

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New Mexico
      • Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87131
        • Recruiting
        • UNM Psychology Clinic
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria (client participants):

  • English-speaking adults seeking treatment for alcohol or other drug use at one of two outpatient addiction treatment programs
  • Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
  • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures
  • Physically withdrawn from alcohol or other drugs

Inclusion Criteria (personnel participants):

  • English-speaking adults currently employed at one of the two outpatient addiction treatment programs
  • Provision of electronic informed consent

Exclusion Criteria (client participants):

  • Experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms
  • Actively psychotic, manic, and/or suicidal

Exclusion Criteria (personnel participants):

  • current position: facility owner or clinical director

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Motivational Interviewing at Intake (MII)
Clients allocated to the MII condition will receive a 90-minute pure Motivational Interviewing (MI) session.
Behavioral: Motivational Interviewing at Intake (MII)
The MII will involve a goal-oriented and collaborative conversation about why the client wants treatment now, and how treatment might fit with his/her most important values. The provider will use open questions, reflective listening and autonomy support in a flexible, non-authoritative manner. Rather than asking specific questions in different life domains, the provider will explore with the client their desires, abilities, reasons, and needs for treatment, how treatment fits with their values, and what successful treatment looks like to them. The client's language about change will be strategically reinforced to increase its frequency and strength across the session.
Active Comparator: Intake as Usual (IAU)
Clients allocated to the IAU condition will receive the 90-minute standard assessment that is delivered to all clients entering intensive outpatient program (IOP)/outpatient program (OP).
Behavioral: Intake as Usual (IAU)
In line with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) guidelines, the IAU condition involves a semi-structured interview of the client's psychosocial history and clients answer a series of questions in the following domains: support system, living situation, educational, occupational, family, and medical history.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of participants who attended the first outpatient treatment program session based on electronic medical record review
Time Frame: up to 36 weeks
Treatment entry is determined by review of electronic medical record of whether clients attended their first scheduled treatment session
up to 36 weeks
Number of treatment sessions attended during the three-month outpatient treatment program based on electronic medical record review
Time Frame: up to 36 weeks
Number of treatment sessions that clients attend is determined by review of electronic medical record and calculating number of treatment sessions attended.
up to 36 weeks
Number of participants who completed the three-month outpatient treatment program based on electronic medical record review
Time Frame: up to 36 weeks
Completion of the three-month outpatient treatment program is determined by review of electronic medical record
up to 36 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in client readiness to enter treatment on the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment Scale (URICA) at 1 hour post-intake
Time Frame: baseline and 1 hour post-intake
The URICA is a validated, self-report measure of client readiness for treatment engagement. Possible scores range from 32 to 160 with higher scores indicative greater readiness to enter treatment. Change = (Hour 1 score - Baseline Score).
baseline and 1 hour post-intake
Score on therapeutic alliance on the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) at 1-hour post-intake
Time Frame: 1 hour post-intake
The WAI is a validated, self-report measure of client perceptions of the therapeutic process by assessing three sub scales: Goals, Bond, and Tasks. Possible scores on sub scales range from 12 to 84 with higher scores indicative of better therapeutic alliance.
1 hour post-intake

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in organizational readiness to change on the Texas Christian University-Organizational Readiness to Change (TCU-ORC) at 1 year
Time Frame: baseline and 1 year
The TCU-ORC is a validated, self-report measure of personnel perceptions of their organization's readiness and willingness to make changes. Possible scores range from 125 to 625 with higher scores indicative of more readiness to change. Change = (Year 1 score - Baseline Score).
baseline and 1 year
Change from baseline in organizational readiness to change on the Readiness for Organizational Change (ROC) at 1 year
Time Frame: baseline and 1 year
The ROC is a validated, self-report measure of personnel perceptions of their organization's readiness to change. Possible scores range from 25 to 155 with higher scores indicative of more readiness to change. Change = (Year 1 score - Baseline Score).
baseline and 1 year
Change from baseline in organizational capability to change on the Change Process Capability Questionnaire (CPCQ) at Year 1
Time Frame: baseline and 1 year
The CPCQ is a validated, self-report measure of personnel perceptions of of their organization's capability to change. Possible scores range from 1 to 132 with higher scores indicative of more capability to make changes in the organization. Change = (Year 1 score - Baseline Score).
baseline and 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of New Mexico

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Margo Hurlocker, PhD, University of New Mexico

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 16, 2022

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 26, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 2, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 5, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • A22-0014
  • K23DA052646 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data that underlie results reported in a peer-reviewed publication, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices). Session audio recordings will not be shared.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will become available starting in January 2025

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal will have access to the data. A data use agreement will be required, signed by the requesting investigator and their Authorized Organization Representation (AOR)/Signing Official (SO)

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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