Standards for addiction therapeutic communities as a means of quality improvement

Abstract

In the current paper, service standards for addiction therapeutic communities, a result of a collaboration between the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Association of Therapeutic Communities, and representatives of therapeutic communities from Europe and Australia are summarized and commented. In the past two decades, addiction TCs worked hard to establish the scientific credibility of their practice. The author regards these standards as an important step, opening new perspectives in therapy.