This article reports on a qualitative case study that explored how 11 members of a multidisciplinary adult drug court team understand how their role as a team member informs their practice; the authors discuss their research and findings, as well as implications for future research and practice.
This qualitative case study included 11 members of a multidisciplinary adult drug court (ADC) team who participated in semi-structured interviews, exploring their understanding of how their role as an ADC team member informs their practice. Interviews were analyzed according to thematic analyses procedures. Findings suggested the physical seating of the ADC team and the participants in the courtroom may foster or hinder a therapeutic approach. In addition, the analysis pointed to the importance of taking client privacy into consideration in the reporting of client information to support drug court participant agency. The results revealed the benefit of purposeful courtroom setup and operations conducive to a therapeutic approach, enhanced inpatient treatment options, and role clarity of team members. Further, the authors point out the need for development of matrices of services supporting access to acute treatment for drug court participants. Publisher Abstract Provided