Clinician beliefs and practices related to increasing responsivity to the needs of Maori with alcohol and drug problems

Culturally responsive treatments are often cited as essential for successfu lly addressing substance use-associated problems in indigenous and other et hnic groups. However, there has been little investigation of the support fo r this assertion among alcohol and drug-user treatment workers, or how it m ight translate into clinical practice. The current paper reports on the res ults of a survey of the New Zealand alcohol and drug-user treatment field, which canvassed these issues. Eighty-six percent of respondents advocated a djustment of clinical practice when working with Maori. Two key strategies were referral to specialist Maori groups or individuals and/or contacting/m eeting with whanau (family). Comparisons were made between respondents who referred clients on and those who provided intervention themselves. Implica tions of results, limitations and future research are discussed.