Assessment issues and strategies in alcoholism treatment matching research

Sensitive and comprehensive client assessment entails complex conceptual and methodological considerations. Such activity is at the heart of matching clients to appropriate treatments. This article begins by specifying the goals and functions of assessment to support matching. This is followed by a discussion of the strategies employed in Project MATCH to identify matching and outcome variables. The assessment battery used in Project MATCH is next described. Finally, an overview of issues surrounding administration of assessment measures is provided. Particular attention is given to the topics of sequencing and timing of measures.