How To Use the Manual
The counselor should read through the entire manual before beginning treatment. Counselors should have basic training in both motivational enhancement and cognitive behavioral treatment techniques, but the manual provides a solid review of basic principles and information specific to working with clients who are marijuana dependent. Supplemental reading C in section VII provides details on BMDC-specific training.
The detailed session protocols are not designed to be taken into a session and followed literally. They offer the counselor suggestions on how to transition from one topic to the next during a session. The counselor needs to become familiar with the session content before meeting the client. However, the boxed overview and outline at the beginning of each session can be pulled out of the manual and taken into the session to be used as a cue sheet.
The forms used in each session are at the end of that section. Counselors should make copies of the forms before each session for their clients.