Alcohol and Drug Counselor Exam Practice Questions 2025 – Your Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

The correct answer is contingency management, which is a therapeutic strategy that emphasizes providing tangible rewards to encourage specific behaviors, such as abstinence from drugs and alcohol. This approach is based on the principles of operant conditioning, where positive reinforcement is used to increase the likelihood of desired behaviors. For example, individuals may receive vouchers, prizes, or other incentives for remaining abstinent, attending therapy sessions, or achieving treatment milestones. The effectiveness of this strategy lies in its ability to directly motivate individuals by linking behaviors to immediate, rewarding outcomes.

Other strategies like cognitive techniques focus on addressing thoughts and beliefs related to substance use, while motivational enhancement is aimed at strengthening an individual's motivation to change without necessarily providing tangible rewards. Behavioral techniques, which may encompass a broader range of practices, do not specifically highlight the use of rewards as a core element like contingency management does. Thus, contingency management stands out as the most fitting choice for this question.