ABSTRACT

C l i n i c i a n s a n d researchers have h a d a l o n g s t a n d i n g interest i n the poss ib i l i ty o f i m p r o v i n g treatment outcomes a m o n g var ied c l ient p o p u l a t i o n s by matchi n g c l ients to treatments. I n this chapter, we first present a general m o d e l o f p e r s o n - e n v i r o n m e n t congruence for cl ients i n res ident ia l t reatment fac i l i - ties. T h i s m o d e l matches the cl ient 's level o f f u n c t i o n i n g ( i n the cognit ive , psychologica l , a n d socia l d o m a i n s ) w i t h the treatment program's levels o f s u p p o r t , per formance d e m a n d s , a n d structure. O u r review o f e m p i r i c a l w o r k focuses m a i n l y o n models o f m a t c h i n g psychiatr ic a n d substance abuse patients to treatment programs. W e also review research o n models o f m a t c h i n g youths w i t h c o n d u c t disorders to correc t iona l facil i t ies. T h e chapter c o ns id - ers some key c o n c e p t u a l a n d m e t h o d o l o g i c a l issues that are raised by efforts to apply m a t c h i n g models , a n d by research o n s u c h efforts. F ina l ly , we h i g h - l ight some p r o m i s i n g direc t ions for research o n p a t i e n t - t r e a t m e n t m a t c h i n g .