Evidence-Based Results
Research by Dr. Virgil Gregory
Research has proven over and over that traditional prevention and early intervention substance misuse court-referred programs are ineffective, yet the majority of courts nationwide continue to utilize dated, shame-based, lecture style classes, despite recidivism and overdose being at an all-time high. We lack evidence-based programs that do not fall into the trap of shaming and stigmatizing substance use in order to motivate justice involved individuals.
Calla Collaborative Health with Get S-M-A-R-T®, is paving the way! From 2020 to 2022 Dr. Virgil Gregory, Associate Professor for Indiana University School of Social Work, conducted an initial research study with 50 participants on the virtual Get S-M-A-R-T® intervention, and the findings were astonishing. When evaluating just the 8-hour intervention, Dr. Gregory found a statistical significant correlation between participant motivation and their interest in changing misuse behavior. One year later, no participants had reoffended or exhibited symptoms consistent with a Substance Use Disorder, as outlined in the DSM-5.
Given the potential effectiveness of this virtual application and its success, Dr. Gregory is planning a follow up research project, a Randomized Controlled Trial, which expects to reveal that the Get S-M-A-R-T® intervention has a direct effect on participants’ motivation and desire to make changes with respect to their substance use. This new research will be groundbreaking!
Other Publications
The success of the program evaluation led Dr. Gregory’s findings to be history in the making in the field of Social Work! Virtual Programs were rarely used let alone researched! Find his chapter in the book, Social Work in an Online World, A Guide to Digital Practice.