The evaluation of treatment in therapeutic communities: Problems of design and implementation

The evaluation of therapeutic communities provides an opportunity to explore the relationship between evaluation methodologies and the constraints imposed by the nature of the treatment setting. In most therapeutic communities the environment represents the primary vehicle of treatment and, as a result, virtually every aspect of the program's operations are, directly or indirectly, related to the treatment goals. This paper examines some of the problems this situation creates for the evaluation of such programs. It suggests that the need to develop an effective working relationship with the program becomes the primary concern of the evaluation process, and it analyzes the use of specific techniques involved in establishing this type of relationship. Such an approach may be useful in other settings where the unique characteristics of the program become the primary constraint in evaluation design and implementation.