The Dopamine Dialogues

How can real-world implementation — and hard-won lessons from failure — make contingency management more effective at scale? In Episode 8 of Dopamine Dialogues, Larry Klemchuk speaks with JK Costello, Director of Behavioral Health Consulting at Stedman Group and a person in long-term recovery, about the practical realities of implementing contingency management (CM) across health plans, Medicaid a...

In Episode 7 of Dopamine Dialogues , Larry Klimchuk sits down with Dr Rick Rawson , one of the leading experts in addiction recovery and contingency management research. This conversation explores how contingency management can support stimulant recovery, improve patient engagement, and create measurable public health impact when implemented at scale. Dr. Rawson shares insights on: Why contingency...

In Episode 6 of Dopamine Dialogues , Dr. Faye Taxman, University Professor at George Mason University and a nationally recognized expert in health services criminology and implementation science. This conversation explores how contingency management (CM) can shift correctional and healthcare systems away from punishment-based approaches and toward positive behavior change, recovery, and improved q...

Contingency management has decades of proven research—but making it work in the real world is where most programs struggle. In this episode of The Dopamine Dialogues , Stephen Jenkins shares how the key to success lies in execution. From reducing clinical burden to improving engagement and delivering real-time incentives, he breaks down what it takes to build scalable, sustainable CM programs. Lea...

What drives real, lasting change in addiction treatment? In Episode 4 of The Dopamine Dialogues, we are joined by Dr. Thomas Freese, a leader in behavioral health, to explore how contingency management (CM) supports engagement, retention, and long-term recovery in substance use disorder treatment. Contingency management is one of the most effective evidence-based interventions in addiction treatme...

Why is one of the most effective interventions in addiction treatment still underused? In Episode 3 of The Dopamine Dialogues, we are joined by Sir John Strang, National Addiction Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, a leading expert in addiction medicine, to explore the role of contingency management (CM) in modern substance use disorder t...

In Episode 2 of The Dopamine Dialogues , we are joined by Dr. Lara Coughlin , Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School and researcher at the University of Michigan Addiction Center. Dr. Coughlin’s work focuses on the intersection of behavioral economics and addiction treatment , exploring how incentive-based approaches such as contingency management can improv...

In this first episode of The Dopamine Dialogues, Dr. Brian Hurley, Medical Director, Substance Abuse Prevention and Control at Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, breaks down why contingency management is strongly recommended in national guidelines for stimulant use disorder and why adoption still lags behind the evidence. We discuss real-world implementation, California’s 93% patient...