Abstract

Therapeutic communities (TCs) aim to help people with substance use disorders change their lifestyle and reintegrate into society. Addicts seek therapy when they feel they have lost control over their lives. Therapeutic factors (TFs) are those aspects of the therapeutic process that stimulate the desired change. This article examines TF perceptions among clients in TCs and the impact of those factors on changing the locus of control (LOC) during the therapeutic process. The findings indicate that perceptions of TFs improved as treatment progressed, and LOC steadily increased during the treatment process. In addition, the higher the perceived level of TFs at the beginning of the process, the more the participants experienced a steady growth in their internal LOC for their lives.